September 18, 2001

TRENDS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD

Dear Friends and Subscribers,

You worry about little things when moving to a new home in a new city. How far is the nearest grocery store? Will they stock my favorite brand of ice cream? Which long-distance carrier should we use? How do I find my way to the shopping mall? Will my daughter like her new school? Will she make good friends?

You don't worry about big things, like jet planes flying into tall buildings 20 miles away.

But four days after we moved to Irvington-on-Hudson, that's exactly what happened. And the "little things" will never be quite the same again.

First thoughts, of course, are of family. Within ten minutes of the second attack, I was on the phone to our daughter Valerie, warning her not to take the train into Manhattan for dance rehearsal; daughter Lesley in Chicago, warning her to stay away from the Sears Tower; son Todd in Orlando, warning him to stay away from Disney; and son Tim, relatively safe in Utah, reporting on the status of the rest of the family.

Thankfully, all of us were fine. And then our hearts and thoughts turned to others. Everyone we know here in Irvington knows someone who was working at the Trade Center. We walked down to the river, and could see the horrible devastation across the water, the thick cloud of smoke hovering where the towers used to be. One of Hayley's new friends knew that her father was flying from Washington to LA that morning; after several anguished hours, they learned that he was indeed on the flight that hit the Pentagon. Multiply that realization by tens of thousands. My heart went out to Solicitor General Ted Olson as he described his first thoughts when he learned of the initial attacks (Barbara is on a plane this morning--could it be....?) then his relief when he heard her voice on the phone, (Oh, thank God, it wasn't her plane) followed by unspeakable anguish as she told him there was yet another hijacked plane, and she was calling from it.

How do we go on in the face of such terrorism? How can we manage these big things, so that the little things can matter again?

Of course we are apprehensive, and I wasn't surprised by the caravan of rental cars as tourists and business people left New York by car instead of plane last week. We were especially nervous about the sounds of planes overhead when all the planes had been grounded (they were fighter jets, searching for planes that shouldn't be there, with orders to shoot...) Yes, we have been fearful.

But we are a nation that will not live in fear.

Last night I put my 15-year-old daughter on a plane bound for Orlando. It's homecoming this weekend, and one of the promises we made to her when this sudden move came up was that she could go back to Orlando for Lake Highland's homecoming game and dance, and to see her brother Todd. She was determined to go, despite her apprehensions. As we drove to the airport in
Newark she bubbled with excitement to see her friends and her brother, and I marveled at her ability to shake off the fear and go on with life. But when it came time to say goodbye--at the ticket counter this time; I would not be allowed to accompany her to the gate--tears welled in her eyes. She was frightened--and she was angry. Angry that, in the words of President Bush, some "tinhorn terrorist" has made her afraid to fly. She has been flying unaccompanied since she was 10 years old, changing planes like a pro and never once afraid. Now she will always be afraid. And that made her mad.

I told her she didn't have to go--we could turn around and drive back home, and never mention it again, if she wanted. But she was determined to see Todd, determined to visit her friends. Instead, she asked if we could find a private place to pray for courage, which we did. And then she called home, to hear her dad say, "You'll be fine." And then she got on the plane.

Because here in America, love of friends and love of family will always be stronger than fear of terrorists. Yes, we will have to take stronger precautions than ever before. I was grateful for the security guards who scrutinized every ticket and identification before allowing passengers to pass. But we will not give up our way of life, our freedoms, to cower in fear. We are Americans.

-- Jo Ann Skousen

email: jaskousen@mskousen.com

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