Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


9.11.2003  

Remember?

I never really understood what people meant when they said that everyone always remembers where they were when JFK was shot. And although I remember it, I think I was too young to really grasp the significance of the situation when the Challenger exploded. Two years ago, however, I understood the significance. It's been two years, and I can't forget what it was like, trying to unglue my eyelids at foursomething in the wee hours of the morning just to see the smoke billowing from those Twin Towers.



Rob had called to tell me to turn on my TV. I said we didn't have cable; he said it didn't matter, just turn it on and I'd see. Unfortunately, he was right. I heard Goose come out of his room to take a leak, and I told him to come and see what had happened. He looks even more Japanese when he's just woken up, by the way :) I watched, glued to the TV set, unable to turn it off, unable to fall asleep, yet wishing I'd wake up and find I'd dreamt it all.



Of course, I didn't have to go into work that day. I met up with Lisa and Leo (and I forget who else) for lunch, then I went surfing. The next day, getting into the office was harsh. By the time I got onto base, the day was a wash anyway, so we just left after a couple of hours of catching the latest web footage and whatnot. It was a strange environment; nobody knew what to do, and nobody knew how we should be feeling. It's strange like that, working for the military all the way out in Hawai'i. Sometimes, you get a mix of both worlds that comes up weird. September 11 provided a little bit of that, but to an extreme degree.



Dr. Mohler shared an interesting term today in chapel. He said many Americans are "September 10 Americans." The term is pretty much self-explanatory. It's the head-in-the-sand outlook on things that ignores the pain, even at the cost of ignoring the truth. I often find myself guilty of that, and I wonder to what degree I'll be guilty of that in the future.



Still, that early morning from two years ago is firmly imprinted upon my mind. It's a gripping reminder that life is serious, life is precious, and life is fleeting and frail. The question is, how will I respond to that reminder?

posted by Bolo | 6:29 PM
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