Sunday, September 9, 2007

9/11 The End of Innocence or The Beginning of the End?

Cathy of "Cathy's Place to Blog" hosted a blog challenge for posts about 9/11/2001. I want to thank everyone who went to her blog site and voted for me. I won! I won! Okay, now I will humbly quit bragging (yeah, sure!) and tell you to check her blog for very interesting writing. Check her blog here.


September 11, 2001


It was shortly before nine, that Tuesday morning, when the phone began to jangle on my bedside table. Okay, so I was lolling about on my bed like Cleopatra on her barge. It was a time of life when there were no pressing reasons to leave the soft comfort of my quintessential retreat. I languidly answered and heard the excited voice of my youngest daughter. "A plane just flew into one of the Twin Towers in New York! Turn on your TV!" The horror unfolding before our eyes short-circuited the link between reality and belief. The child within wanted to deny that this could be happening even though our eyes watched the undeniable on the screen. How could such an accident happen? Stacey and I talked as we watched separately, yet bonded together in mutual sorrow for those who would never again talk with a loved one or cuddle deeply in their comfortable beds with a spouse, lover or child. People leapt from windows without hope of living, but in fear of dying from the flames left behind. American Airlines Flight 11 had ended at 8:46 am. As we watched and talked, we saw United Airlines Flight 175 hit the second tower at 9:03 --- the age of innocence ended as we realized there are people in the world who want us dead. American Flight 77 tore into the Pentagon Building at 9:37 and United Flight 93 plummeted into the ground in Pennsylvania at 10:06. This all occurred in one hour and twenty minutes, but would change the world as we know it forever. We cried together and finally hung up the phones, only to remain transfixed before the TVs. The words Muslim, elQuaida and terrorists began to filter into the reporters jargon and I searched my mind for what little knowledge I had of their activities.
Americans have attended their churches faithfully for hundreds of years and have heard the Biblical stories of the ancestors of Jesus; not thinking of the ramifications of the Old Testament lineage of Abraham and Sarah. Many people know only of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. You know --- Christmas and Easter people. The faith of Abraham filtered down from King David to God's only son, Jesus, through many generations of Hebrews. When Abraham was eighty-six years old, he took (at Sarah's behest) Sarah's handmaiden (slave), Hagar. She bore a son, Ishmael. They thought this would fulfill God's promise of a son for Abraham in his old age, but no! God had promised a son through Abraham's legal wife, Sarah. It was accomplished when Abraham was one hundred years old and the child was named Isaac. Isaac's descendants are the Jewish Nation, of whom Jesus is one descendant .... the "new covenant" with God, from which the Christians spring. Ishmael and Hagar were cast out into the desert to become the Arab Nation. God promised Hagar that her son, Ishmael, would head many nations. This, from The Living Bible; God appeared to Hagar in Genesis 17:10-12, saying , "This son of yours will be a wild one --- free and untamed as a wild ass! He will be against everyone, and everyone will feel the same towards him. But, he will live near the rest of his kin." So, we know that the Arabs and the Jews are half-brothers, but surely the Arab Nation resents the inheritance of slavery as opposed to legitimate offspring of their forefather. The stage set over two thousand years ago endures between the Jews, Christians and the Arabs in lands all over the world to this day. The Barbary Pirates of the seventeenth century were Muslims, determined to acquire enough money to spread the word of the Qur'an telling the World of Allah through his prophet, Muhammad. Their Allah is the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians and Muhammad is their prophet, whom they consider to be the equivalent of our Jesus. However, Jews await the coming Messiah and Christians believe in the Trinity of God. . Early century Muslims were just as dedicated to their mission as they are today. Muslims have never rested in their zeal to rid the world of infidels, because they truly feel it is ordained by Allah that the world be ruled by their God. We must never cease to be vigilant, because the world, as we have know it, will never be the same. Our lives are frail as breath ... we gasp at the prospect of future attacks. What does God think of mankind's perversion of His love in His name? God have mercy. Was 9/11 the end of innocence or the beginning of the end?

17 comments:

Constance said...

I think it was the end of ou nations' innocence, Kacey, and one of the things that marks each of us foreveer with its horror.

Schmoop said...

I came here via Matty's blog. All my prayers for you and your family Kacey. Best Wishes.

Carine-what's cooking? said...

9/11-believe it or not, my daughter and son-in-law chose to get married on this day.
Even though the event was horrible and numbing, we all discussed it, thoroughly.
We decided that if we look at history close enough, something not so good has probably happened on many of them.
With that in mind-we decided a marriage would replace the horrible thoughts with something positive and loving.

probably not for everyone, but anniversary #3 is about to arrive

Carine-what's cooking? said...

Kacey, just wanted to send another round of good hugs and wishes for a speedy, uncomplicated recovery.

Cathy said...

Kacey, First I hope you will soon read this and know that I have been thinking about you all day. You are definitely in my Prayers. I will keep checking for updates.

Your story is beautiful and not only is it informative, and right on the mark, it is also educational. I can hardly wait to post it on my blog. Thank you so much for writing this!

B.S. said...

Dear Kacey,

You are in my thoughts and prayers. You have my vote for the 9/11 contest, and you also have my vote for a recovery as smooth and easy as possible!

Love and hugs,
Betty

Constance said...

Good Wednesday afternoon the 29th Kacey ! Just came by to say hello and see what is new with you !

Spicy said...

Kacey,
I went to vote..but can't find a place where to say...'make a vote'....!]
I love your post. When I read it...everything hit home for me all over again. I felt the day..I was there....heard it happen..then watched it on television. You brought it back in color. This is something we shouldn't ever forget...so thank you for that.
I would love to vote for you....but if you click on the link you gave us.......where does it say....'you can vote here?'
Let us know....

Constance said...

It is Sunday night the 2nd, Kacey. What's up ? Are you okay ? Is there anything I can do emotionally to support you ?

Worried Loving Annie

Big Dave T said...

Sometimes I think the terrorists have won. They have many of us terrified. Despite the fact that we're far more likely to die by domestic gunshot than by terrorist bombing, we spend billions upon billions trying to protect ourselves from a relatively few extremists, bankrupting our government and mortgaging our children's future. My two cents.

Hea Kacey, I see some anonymous commenter responded to your latest comment on my blog. Not sure who it was or where they were from, but it was kinda weird.

Dust-bunny said...

Hi Kacey,

I hope you're up and about and feeling better!

This essay was very well written. I don't necessarily believe that it was the "end of our innocence"...I tend to think more that it was the "end of our ignorance." This stuff has been brewing for years, and then it came to a head on 9/11. Now we need to concentrate on cleaning up the mess, not making more of one!

I just want to live and let live. I wish everyone else felt the same.

Anonymous said...

After reading your submission to the "911 Challenge" I had to check out your blog. I'm glad I found it. Keep up the great writing!

Cathy said...

Hi Kacey, Wow, with only one day of voting left, you, and your story, are doing really well! I think many people have learned alot from you writing this. Thank you for participating and for sending such a great story.

Im sure I will be sending you an email tomorrow night, after midnight, when voting ends....:)

Now Kacey, how have you been feeling? I hope you are doing good and getting better and stronger everyday. I havent been around much on the blogs lately but I hope to make up for that soon.

Shelby said...

great writing.

to anwswer your quetions to me yesterday - I left law school because my grades were not as good as they should've been. The second semester went very well, but the first semester had bombed - I had really struggled with the load of it all. It was quite difficult. Everything hinged on the first semester grades tho, and unfortuntately, I became unhinged. I wrote about it all extensively on my blog -- just look through my archives if you're interested. It's quite a story.

I am in 'regular' grad school now trying to make amends with a great gpa - and then hope to go back to law next year - WHERE I WANT TO BE :)

Anyway, isn't life such an adventure?...

Oh- and the 9/11 post? Yes I actually did participate.. Cathy posted my writing on her blog that day. I had asked her tho not to include it in the voting poll. That's probably where you got confused. I didn't want my writing on that particular sensitive subject to offend anybody by way of being 'voted' on for a prize. Just scroll down on my blog and/or her blog and you'll see it.

Take care and happy day.. Good luck to your loved one in law school... tell him to just read read read and outline outline outline.. memorize all he can..work work work like the dickens and he should be ok.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

thanks for the visit. i went to email you but didn't find an email address. the kitties on my blog are not mine, they are from cat blogs i read and i adopt them as cyber pets. just a silly hobby i guess for an old woman to have!

smiles, bee

Constance said...

Just came by to say hello and see how you were doing on Tuesday night September 18th, Kacey ! hope all is well with you and those ou love --
*Cyber hugs and smiles*
Loving Annie

Jeffrey said...

hi kacey.
i linked to ur blog from ur comment on buckeye surgeon's post on "big cases"

a lil late on the comment, but what a great intro to this topic.

wonderful fantastic writing.
its no wonder u won.

indeed we are in the end times, as what is happening now indicates all that described by Jesus in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 24.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

amen.
God bless you and your ministry. :)