September 11-Behind the Scenes

I walked into the front office of Center Street Elementary School to drop off my daughter’s forgotten lunchbox.

“Someone said a plane just crashed into one of the Twin Towers,” one of the ladies said.

We all shrugged it off thinking it was fake news.

The bright blue sky and crisp September air on Long Island, NY announced the soon arrival of Autumn.

I turned the radio as I drove to work as a Court Interpreter at the county District Court.

My blood froze when the reporter confirmed it wasn’t fake news.

Confusion reigned as people in the courthouse scurried down the hallways, bumping into each other, looking for answers that no one had.

I opened the door to my assigned courtroom only to witness the judge, walking zombie-like out of his chambers, his face pale and his hands trembling.

“The second tower just fell,” he said. “Court is cancelled.”

My husband, in medical residency, happened to leave late that day and was unable to cross the bridge into the city, so he headed for the school to pick up our two girls.

I walked out of the courthouse and entered into a scene of a Left Behind movie.

Cars raced each other, honking, cutting into lines, running red lights and stop signs.

The grocery stores turned into war zones where people fought over bread and milk.

Up in the sky, eerie silence took over the constant noise of planes flying out of the city.

We spent the day glued to the tv, praying for miracles and trying to grasp the horrors we witnessed.

Every day we learned of more people in our community who had perished or were missing.

The sadness, fear and anger weighed heavily in the air, until one night at a small park behind our church, New Hyde Park Baptist Church.

Our pastor, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi held a candlelight service, uniting the community in prayer that surpassed religions. Each one spoke words of hope, faith and love as hundreds of people lit candles in the dark.

They also conveyed stories of those who had been saved because of “coincidences”. A man had a flat tire. Another got a blister from new shoes that prompted a last-minute visit to a pharmacy. A woman stopped to get donuts for the office. A young man was away on his honeymoon.

As the miraculous testimonies continued, hope erupted in the air.

Men volunteered to fix things or mow lawns for women who’d lost their husbands. Women suggested cooking and cleaning for families who’d lost their wives and moms. Others offered tutoring for children, or rides to sports practices. Churches and businesses extended financial assistance to those in need.

And right there and then we all witnessed a revolution of loving-kindness.

A community devasted by great loss, united by great love.

The terrorist attack of September 11,2001 took front stage in the world.

But behind the scenes, we experienced God’s Word come alive.

The enemy tried to destroy a nation, but God proved that He turns evil into good. (Genesis 50:20)

That is a memory I will never forget.