Her companion, in an equally loud tone said - "I dunno, but it looks awful ... lemme read what it says ..."
I said softly with my teeth clenched and a tear in my eye, "They are beams from the World Trade Centre ..."
The two women gasped and assumed a reverential demeanour ...
I still remember vividly the morning of September 11th 2001 ... I was getting lunches ready while Noahkila, Ms H., and Beetle were getting ready for their day ... on CBC Radio, the special announcement music broke in and a voice said "a plane has flown into the World Trade Centre in New York City ..." I gasped, dropped what I was doing and dashed into the living room. I turned on the tv and was struck by the visual image of the first tower smoking ...I called Noahkila to come and see ... He arrived just as the second plane slammed into the second tower ... My heart stopped ...
I remember ALL of my conversations through the rest of the day ... the common theme was shock, bewilderment and confusion ... then later in the day fear started to set in. Not fear of the terrorists and what they might be capable of doing, but fear what would happen now as President Bush prepared to respond ...
I believe that it has been a fear that has been warranted and justified ...
Today as I stood again gazing at the steel girders that were once a piece of New York City's skyline, I thought of those who died that day ... then I thought of all the Afghani and Iraqi citizens who have died since ... and all the soldiers, Canadian, American, and others who have fallen in a war few of us want ... and I thought of all the conflicts in the world ... and with tears in my eyes I could utter only one prayer:
May we one day have a real and lasting
peace in our world ...
and may we have it soon ... Amen.
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