On September 11th in the year 2001 my morning started off at 6am when my sister's TV came on automatically. In my quiet 2 bedroom apartment the TV turning on with no one around often scared the shit out of me! Especially when my Sister Dana wasn't even home. "THAT has to be the Creepiest Alarm setup ever!" I explained to Dana who was laughing so hard as I acted out my first encounter with the big noisy TV from her room. "So it's 6am the TV comes on and I knew you weren't home so I jump out of bed scared to death, wide awake and grabbed my tennis racket!" She stopped laughing to catch her breath only to ask "How will a tennis racket save you?." I threw my arms up in my defense "I wasn't thinking clearly, I had an intruder watching TV in my home at an ungodly hour!" Dana just kept laughing. That TV and me NEVER really liked each other:-)
So on 9/11/01 at 6am that very morning my sister's TV turns on, so I call out "Dana? are you home?" she opens her bedroom door to reply "yes." She leaves the TV on while I showered for work. My current job at the time was in home interior design. I spent my days driving all over the Treasure Valley setting up, painting, rag rolling, staining, wallpapering in new homes. My Boss called that morning saying she was to busy at home so I could just take the day off. That was just how this job went, with all kinds of random hours, late mornings or long nights. After realizing I didn't have to go paint, I went right back to bed, fully dressed falling asleep to Dana's big loud TV in the background.
Almost 1 hour later Dana called down the hallway then ran into my bedroom. "Holy Shit! Debby, the world is coming to an end!" I rolled out of bed in wrinkled clothes protesting that I wanted to sleep more. "How can you sleep when the world is ending?!" She asked waving her hand towards her TV. I was bewildered watching the Twin Towers smoking, hearing the alarm in the reporters voices. After a few minuets of starring at the TV I realized that all I wanted to do was call my Boyfriend Tony, my Mom, my Grandma to make sure everyone I loved was okay. With my phone to my ear and my eyes on the TV screen. I felt like time stood still, like the tears rolling softly down my cheeks wasn't going to be enough to save the world after all.
"While the events of September 11 might seem to be about religion, they were really about Anger."-Pastor Don Mackenzie
The Interfaith Amigos came together on 9-11 as they shared in that historical tragedy. Rabbi Ted Falcon, Pastor Don Mackenzie and Sheikh Jamal Rahman. They understand how important it is to listen, respect and connect with each other in their friendship. It is very rare to find men like them, sharing their faith and their religion without any particular agenda. I am inspired by these men, The Interfaith Amigos. I know that on September 11th when the buildings came crumbling down, when people died, when people cried. These 3 men found in each other a balance for hope.
"The Torah, the New Testament, and the Quran
all contain exceptional teachings instructing us to love God,
to love one another,
and to care for all people. And in each of these traditions,
here are teachings promoting an exclusivity that belies these very universal teachings." -Rabbi Ted Falcon
America, the Exclusive Nation was attacked on 9-11 and many people still live in fear over it. Now the time of the Elite, the Chosen and the Untouchables has come to an end in order for us to realize we have always lived in a country full of variety.
I would think this could allows us to have an amazing honorable homeland, embracing all souls and all things.
When I saw the towers fall I understood things were never going to be the same again. We can't keep living in this consuming way forever, sacrificing everything else in this world.
To just assume God is on our side, making those who attacked us pay, creates such endless, reckless hate.
Then everything else becomes war....
I don't know the name of the Pastor who was going to burn the Quran this last Saturday as a memorial, I honestly don't want to waste my time worrying about him. I have often allowed those loud mouth bulling people to get in my face, making me sad. I listen to them, I wonder how can I help them? I can see clearly how such bitter evil eats away at them. I realize living here in the USA, where this culture believes Justice is on our side, and the rest of the world just needs to get out of the way. We will let out our anger, our fear through burning something, hatred is just the beginning of hell.
As for me, I shall find myself an Amigo to share in the joy, in the hope of this new life over 3 cups of tea<3
"The time for covering up and ignoring
the difficult conversations has passed.
It’s time to get real with one another."-Rabbi Ted Falcon
No comments:
Post a Comment