The terrible tragedy that occurred on September 11th, 2001 will haunt many Americans for the remainder of their lives. It will definitely haunt Jessica. You see, she almost lost both her parents that day. Please allow me to tell you this story of faith and peace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jessica grew up in Staten Island, New York. She was about to turn 21 in September, and things were definitely going her way. She was happy. She had great friends, a great family and was doing well in college. She had just started a new job at the local bank. It was challenging her faith...but by God’s grace, she was working through it all.
Both her parents worked in downtown Manhattan...right across the street from the Twin Towers. In fact each morning, as a short cut, they travelled through the towers to get to their jobs from the bus station.
Lastly, her younger brother was in high school. They all lived busy, happy lives.
The morning of September 11th was like every other morning. In fact, Jessica marveled at how beautiful that morning was. It was a beautiful day. The temperature was just right; there was not a cloud in the sky. It was picturesque.
She got ready at her normal pace, but for some reason did not listen to any of the news stations.
One thing she found odd was that she could not stop praying for protection over her parents that morning. She never stopped praying for them.
Arriving at her job, the bank’s assistant manager let her in. Jessica looked around to see a bunch of strange people standing around.
"What’s going on?" Jessica asked.
"We are being audited," was the answer.
Jessica walked to the teller area, got her cash box and sat down. One of her co-workers was crying, demanding to be sent home. "You should send us home. This is not right. We could end up dying here."
Jessica laughed and thought to herself "That girl is so dramatic." She turned to ask another co-worker what was happening.
"A plane crashed into a building and she’s saying we’re all going to die here."
"Oh wow..." Jessica turned back to watch the auditor and pray for those hurt in the crash. She thought they were talking about a building in Utah. She never would have thought it was in New York.
"There is another plane missing, they think it’s going to the White House," the district manager ran to the back to update them.
As the manager went back to his office, everyone cried out in shock. Jessica was finding it hard to absorb.
"What building did they hit the first time?" Jessica asked out loud.
"One of the Twin Towers," replied the auditor. Shocked, Jessica said a quick prayer for her parents.
"Oh my God, they hit the other tower!" someone yelled from the manager’s office. Jessica started to get fidgety. She wanted to call her mom and dad just to hear their voice.
"They hit the Pentagon," came yet another cry from the manager’s office. "Oh my God..." The district manager came back, "One of the Twin Towers just fell."
"I got to go..." Jessica could hear no more. "I need to call my parents to make sure they are okay," she explained to the auditor.
She ran downstairs to call her mom. At 9:15am she reached the phone to call her mother. The phone kept ringing. "God please let them be okay. God, don't take them away from me." She said aloud over and over. The fear started to grab at her heart.
She hung up and tried her father and could not get through. She kept trying both parents’ cell phones, but could not get a line out. The thought of raising her brother after this crept into her mind.
She slammed the phone down and screamed out "GOD PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Her heart hurt so much, she thought it would break. She leaned against the wall, sobbing clutching the phone. “My brother. I need to get to Xavier.”
Jessica ran upstairs and spoke with the manager. "I need to get my brother, my parents are missing - they worked across from the Towers" she explained. She felt herself calming down, though the tears never stopped.
"Oh my God, go ahead go. Do you want someone to drive you?"
"No, I need to go now. I'm fine." Her red eyes said otherwise, but they let her go.
She was delirious with grief and fear. Her heart literally hurt at the thought of losing both her parents. “GOD DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”
She arrived home and ran upstairs to change. "Okay, I need to calm down. Xavier cannot see me like this. God give me grace. God please don't leave us alone. Please protect my parents."
The phone rang. "Mom, Dad?"
It was her grandma; "Jessica it’s me. I can't get a hold of your father." she said crying uncontrollably.
She had never heard her Grandmother cry before. "Grandma, have faith. Trust in God. Look in your heart; do you believe that Dad is still alive?"
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"Then pray Grandma, pray for his quick and safe return home."
"Thank you, Jessica. I will."
"I'm going to hang up right now, because I got to get Xavier. I want him to hear what’s happening from me."
"Okay, call me if you hear from your father."
"I promise Grandma, I promise. Let’s have faith together, he's okay. They are both okay." She hung up the phone and went to get her brother.
There were a lot of parents at the door to the school trying to get their kids. "I don't want my kids to die here." "Yeah, what if they attack the schools. Give us our kids!" They were letting no one in the doors.
Jessica went up to the security guard, "Please I came to get my brother. Both our parents are missing. I need to bring him home." The security guard brought her into the main office, where there were more parents demanding their kids be released.
The security guard went behind the desk to talk to one of the secretaries. "She's going to help you okay?" "Thank you so much"
After 20 minutes they were able to find her brother in the lunchroom, he was about to walk out the door. "Xavier, we need to go home." Jessica said firmly. "I know."
The fear in her baby brothers eyes, matched the fear in hers. As they walked out the door, the secretary tried to get them to talk about it. "Thank you so much for helping us, but we need to get home just in case they try to call us."
It felt like three years had passed by, but it was only 10am as they drove home. But she was no longer alone, she had her brother. "You know what?" she said to her brother, "I have this peace about me, like I know they are okay." Xavier stayed silent and said, "Yeah, me too. God knows we couldn’t handle living without them.”
They got home and waited in the living room for something...anything. 12:30pm rolled about and there was a jingling in the doorway. Someone was coming home.
Jessica ran to open the door to see the most beautiful site she had ever seen. Her mother covered head to toe in soot. "MOM!"
Jessica and Xavier quickly grabbed their mother in a bear hug. Her mother hugged her kids back but said, "Could you wait until I get these dirty clothes off?" They all laughed. "Where's Dad?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know." She replied.
More to come tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jessica grew up in Staten Island, New York. She was about to turn 21 in September, and things were definitely going her way. She was happy. She had great friends, a great family and was doing well in college. She had just started a new job at the local bank. It was challenging her faith...but by God’s grace, she was working through it all.
Both her parents worked in downtown Manhattan...right across the street from the Twin Towers. In fact each morning, as a short cut, they travelled through the towers to get to their jobs from the bus station.
Lastly, her younger brother was in high school. They all lived busy, happy lives.
The morning of September 11th was like every other morning. In fact, Jessica marveled at how beautiful that morning was. It was a beautiful day. The temperature was just right; there was not a cloud in the sky. It was picturesque.
She got ready at her normal pace, but for some reason did not listen to any of the news stations.
One thing she found odd was that she could not stop praying for protection over her parents that morning. She never stopped praying for them.
Arriving at her job, the bank’s assistant manager let her in. Jessica looked around to see a bunch of strange people standing around.
"What’s going on?" Jessica asked.
"We are being audited," was the answer.
Jessica walked to the teller area, got her cash box and sat down. One of her co-workers was crying, demanding to be sent home. "You should send us home. This is not right. We could end up dying here."
Jessica laughed and thought to herself "That girl is so dramatic." She turned to ask another co-worker what was happening.
"A plane crashed into a building and she’s saying we’re all going to die here."
"Oh wow..." Jessica turned back to watch the auditor and pray for those hurt in the crash. She thought they were talking about a building in Utah. She never would have thought it was in New York.
"There is another plane missing, they think it’s going to the White House," the district manager ran to the back to update them.
As the manager went back to his office, everyone cried out in shock. Jessica was finding it hard to absorb.
"What building did they hit the first time?" Jessica asked out loud.
"One of the Twin Towers," replied the auditor. Shocked, Jessica said a quick prayer for her parents.
"Oh my God, they hit the other tower!" someone yelled from the manager’s office. Jessica started to get fidgety. She wanted to call her mom and dad just to hear their voice.
"They hit the Pentagon," came yet another cry from the manager’s office. "Oh my God..." The district manager came back, "One of the Twin Towers just fell."
"I got to go..." Jessica could hear no more. "I need to call my parents to make sure they are okay," she explained to the auditor.
She ran downstairs to call her mom. At 9:15am she reached the phone to call her mother. The phone kept ringing. "God please let them be okay. God, don't take them away from me." She said aloud over and over. The fear started to grab at her heart.
She hung up and tried her father and could not get through. She kept trying both parents’ cell phones, but could not get a line out. The thought of raising her brother after this crept into her mind.
She slammed the phone down and screamed out "GOD PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Her heart hurt so much, she thought it would break. She leaned against the wall, sobbing clutching the phone. “My brother. I need to get to Xavier.”
Jessica ran upstairs and spoke with the manager. "I need to get my brother, my parents are missing - they worked across from the Towers" she explained. She felt herself calming down, though the tears never stopped.
"Oh my God, go ahead go. Do you want someone to drive you?"
"No, I need to go now. I'm fine." Her red eyes said otherwise, but they let her go.
She was delirious with grief and fear. Her heart literally hurt at the thought of losing both her parents. “GOD DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”
She arrived home and ran upstairs to change. "Okay, I need to calm down. Xavier cannot see me like this. God give me grace. God please don't leave us alone. Please protect my parents."
The phone rang. "Mom, Dad?"
It was her grandma; "Jessica it’s me. I can't get a hold of your father." she said crying uncontrollably.
She had never heard her Grandmother cry before. "Grandma, have faith. Trust in God. Look in your heart; do you believe that Dad is still alive?"
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"Then pray Grandma, pray for his quick and safe return home."
"Thank you, Jessica. I will."
"I'm going to hang up right now, because I got to get Xavier. I want him to hear what’s happening from me."
"Okay, call me if you hear from your father."
"I promise Grandma, I promise. Let’s have faith together, he's okay. They are both okay." She hung up the phone and went to get her brother.
There were a lot of parents at the door to the school trying to get their kids. "I don't want my kids to die here." "Yeah, what if they attack the schools. Give us our kids!" They were letting no one in the doors.
Jessica went up to the security guard, "Please I came to get my brother. Both our parents are missing. I need to bring him home." The security guard brought her into the main office, where there were more parents demanding their kids be released.
The security guard went behind the desk to talk to one of the secretaries. "She's going to help you okay?" "Thank you so much"
After 20 minutes they were able to find her brother in the lunchroom, he was about to walk out the door. "Xavier, we need to go home." Jessica said firmly. "I know."
The fear in her baby brothers eyes, matched the fear in hers. As they walked out the door, the secretary tried to get them to talk about it. "Thank you so much for helping us, but we need to get home just in case they try to call us."
It felt like three years had passed by, but it was only 10am as they drove home. But she was no longer alone, she had her brother. "You know what?" she said to her brother, "I have this peace about me, like I know they are okay." Xavier stayed silent and said, "Yeah, me too. God knows we couldn’t handle living without them.”
They got home and waited in the living room for something...anything. 12:30pm rolled about and there was a jingling in the doorway. Someone was coming home.
Jessica ran to open the door to see the most beautiful site she had ever seen. Her mother covered head to toe in soot. "MOM!"
Jessica and Xavier quickly grabbed their mother in a bear hug. Her mother hugged her kids back but said, "Could you wait until I get these dirty clothes off?" They all laughed. "Where's Dad?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know." She replied.
More to come tomorrow.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment