The American Skin

If you live long enough in this world, you will undoubtedly have a memory of some momentous tragic, historic event that till the day you die you will never forget. You will be able to recite to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren exactly where you were and what you were doing the moment you heard the news. This single moment in time changes you, takes a piece of your innocence, and wakes you up to the cruelty of humanity- the harshness of the world. Although not personally touched or hurt by the course of events, you emerge from this time in history maybe wiser, more compassionate, less naïve. You begin again with your eyes wider open and your skin a little tougher.

I am now nearly thirty years old, and I assumed "my" tragic events would be the Challenger disaster and the Oklahoma City bombing. The day of the Challenger launch, I was alone at home from school and sick in my bed. Considering my dad worked at NASA, watching a shuttle launch was as routine as brushing your teeth and as reverent as going to church. So on this tragic day, I remember a 13-year-old girl sitting on her white canopy bed watching her childhood icon explode on the TV screen. I immediately tried to call my dad at work, but all the lines into NASA were jammed. So I was left sitting on my bed in disbelief, wishing I could reach my dad so he could reassure me that what I saw on the television wasn't real. In retrospect, I grew up a little bit that day and my skin got a little thicker. I realized tragedy was real and it could happen to real people-even in America.
Then there was Oklahoma City. By now, I had grown into a 22-year-old college graduate and newlywed. My husband and I were in the backyard of his parents' house when his mom came outside to tell us a building in Oklahoma had just been bombed. Like the rest of America, I couldn't understand who would want to destroy so many innocent lives- so many children's lives. I convinced myself that surely nothing more horrible than this could ever happen in America again. Think again...
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we all witnessed the unimaginable, unmentionable tragedy. This time I was sitting in front of the television screen in complete disbelief, horror and fear, finding myself repeating "Oh my God!" as if crying out for Him to make it stop. He answered all of our prayers that day, by comforting our souls in mourning, reuniting our hearts in faith and patriotism, and ultimately strengthening our spirits for the long journey ahead.