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[susan]

as it is the 10th anniversary tomorrow of september 11 and with the credible threat to nyc and its environs, i've decided to post my short story here and to remind everyone to stay safe...

A Hope for the Future

“Daddy, what is a terrorist?”

I turned and watched as my six-year old son entered the room. We had been watching the twin towers of the World Trade Center crumble and fall.

“Well,” I said, thinking about this very carefully,  “A terrorist is a coward who kills innocent people. They want to cause violence and terror and make people afraid and unsure of what will happen next.”

“Why do they want to do that? Why would anyone want to kill someone else?”

I shrugged.  “Because they don’t agree with what other people believe.

“What do other people believe in, Daddy?”

I looked at my son.  Usually, I would try to make some joke out of the conversation or change the subject.  This time, it was different.

I bent down to his level and looked at his beautiful sweet face.

“A lot of other people believe in living in peace, son.  One day, we hope there will be perfect world where people of all races, religions, creeds, and color will live together as one.  Where there will be no war, no hunger, and no greed.  Everyone will pull together, not separately.  A place where people will sing out loud at the dawn of a new day.  A place where people can walk outside without fear of being mugged, raped or even killed.”

“When do you think that will happen, Daddy?”

“Not for a long time, son.  Not until the rest of the world decides it had enough of violent behavior.  We have to fight for peace, my son.  I know that you do not understand me now, but I hope in the future you will and that you will fight, just as I am doing, for that one shining moment in the future.  That one day, when we can all join hands around the world and all these things I have talked about will have already come to pass. ”

I stood up, waiting for his answer.

My son stared at me, his big brown eyes looking at me, a little puzzled.

“I am not sure what you mean, Daddy, but I hope that one day you will get what you want.”

He ran to me and put his arms around my waist and hugged me.  “I love you very much, Daddy,” he said, “does that count?”

I smiled and hugged him back.  “Of course it does, my son.  That is a step in the right direction.”

I pushed him away and looked in his face.  I hadn’t thought about what might happen if I had ever lost my wife and my little boy through a senseless act of violence. I was so thankful that everyone was here, safe with me.

I pulled him closer and held him in my arms, tears forming in my eyes.

“I love you, my son.”   

 

This is for all those who have lost their friends and loved ones in this horrible time in our nation’s history.  We cannot forget those people who have lost their lives in the two airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center causing the tragic collapse of the twin towers, changing the New York skyline forever.

And we must mention the airplane that hit the Pentagon and the final plane, whose passengers rose up and overpowered those terrorists in an attempt to save themselves and prevent another senseless act of violence.

May peace be with you always

 Stay safe…