Emerging Courageous Online Magazine- Stories
Reflections by Jay Fulton
Tuesday September 11, 2001 is a day that none of us will ever forget. It started as such a
nice fall morning. The sky was clear and a deep azure blue and the air had the crispness of early
autumn. It was the kind of day I remember absolutely loving as a boy growing up in Ohio. Little
did I or any of us know that such a beautiful morning would turn into such a dark day.
I was sitting at my desk doing paperwork when someone told me that an airplane had hit
the World Trade Center. I could hardly believe my ears. I thought for sure that my coworkers
were pulling a joke on me. Within the hour, I would come to realize just how horribly truthful they
were being with me.
None of us will ever forget the images of that morning. My eyes are starting to tear up as I
think back to those images as I write these words. I have found myself crying a number of times
since the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. I do not have any family or
friends who worked there. As far as I know, I do not know anyone who was directly effected by
the events of that Tuesday. So why do I mourn?
I mourn because these are fellow human beings whose lives were cruelly snuffed out. I
mourn because there are mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, brothers and sister, children
and friends who will never come home again. I mourn for a country which has lost its sense of
security and innocence. I mourn because people are hurting, and I am a fellow human being.
What can we learn from the events of September 11?
First, we must recognize the mystery and reality of evil in the world. This is an evil which
thinks it is right to take thousands of innocent lives to further a political cause. This is the same
kind of evil which last century took over six million lives to further Nazi ideology. It is the same
evil which is killing millions of people in the Congo, the Sudan, Rwanda and other places in Africa.
More than the evil though, we are reminded of the great good which has been poured out
as a response to this evil. President Bush pointed out this great good in his speech to Congress
when he spoke of the good “… in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have
seen the unfurling of flags, lighting of candles, the giving of blood, they saying of prayers – in
English, Hebrew and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have
made the grief of strangers their own.” Many of you understand what the President was talking
about for you are the ones who are doing this good. You have responded to this crisis with love,
generosity and faith.
We have also learned of God’s great compassion in the face of suffering. Some are
asking where God was on September 11. Some are angry with God because of the terrible loss
of life and the great suffering. If these describe some of your feelings, please know that God
understands. We have seen the compassion of God in the way people have poured out their
hearts and lives in caring for those effected by the events. We see God’s compassion in the way
our country has started to return to that which is truly important in life. We have the promise of
God’s comfort and presence in the face of these trials. God is faithful and will not leave you.
All of our lives have been touch irrevocably by the events of September 11, 2001. It will
take time for us to adjust to our New World. For many of us, it will be difficult to make this
transition. Life is no longer safe. Many of us live in fear and with worry. Many of us are having
difficulty with such as simple task as opening the mail because of the fear of disease. Please know
these are normal reactions to a very stressful situation. The majority of us are suffering from what
psychologists call PostTraumatic Stress. If you find you are having difficulty coping with the events
of the past two months, please seek help. There are many organizations and professionals who
are ready to help. Contact a pastor, a counselor, your doctor, the Red Cross, the Salvation
Army. All of these are ready and prepared to help. Please know you do not have to face this
time alone.
So what meaning can we take from the events of the past two months? If nothing else,
these events remind us what is truly important in life: to love our family and friends, to care for
those around us, to enjoy every day of life we are given. Let us never forget these lessons. May
the Peace of God be with you.
Jay Fulton email: jcinful@prodigy.net