I am struck glancing blows by bits and pieces of the events. Small, specific images or stories that find a hold on my psyche, I know not why.
- The random, odd gaps of silent air as news media reported events
- The first images of the second hit on the WTC, fire blossoming out of the middle of the building
- The later images of the first hit on the WTC; firefighters doing something in the street, a roar of a jet and the clear image of the plane sinking into the building and the plume of flame retreating upon its path
- The choked voice of a seminary student talking about a prayer service in (I think) Tennessee where a Korean war veteran tearfully prayed that in our nation's response to this tragedy, that we not become like those who perpetrated it and harm innocents in our pursuit of justice and how another asked that those present pray for those that had undertaken this act, that their hearts might be changed
- The expected cries for retribution and the unexpected, widespread calls for calm
- The weird scene of a gas station crowded with people at 11:00 pm as I went out to get milk (while the grocery store was empty)
If we cannot take the road of leaders like Martin Luther King and Gandhi, let us at least be more restrained that those that have attacked us. Let us show the United States as the leader it can be.