September 9, 2002 - "Silence Between Friends"
 
 
Welcome to 9/11 Remembrance Week on 2TheHeart!


"The planes were hijacked, the buildings fell, and thousands of lives were lost nearly a thousand miles from here. But the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were an attack on the heart of America. And standing here in the heartland of America, we say in one voice -

We will not give in to terrorists;
We will not rest until they are found and defeated;
We will win this struggle - not for glory, nor wealth, nor power...
but for justice, for freedom, and for peace;

So help us God."
~Tom Harkin


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This is a very special week on 2TheHeart, and one that I hope you will share with your friends and loved ones. We will not run any ads, links or announcements that do not pertain to and benefit the victims of September 11th. Each day this week will bring you messages of hope, peace, forgiveness and courage. I pray that you will spend this week in reverent prayer and be blessed by what we share on 2TheHeart.
God bless,
Susan Fahncke


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One year ago, they tried to change us. They DID! We are now a stronger, closer, kinder nation.  Proudly wear your U.S pin! For 9/11 Awareness ribbons, FDNY, Ground Zero Rescue Effort pins and many others honoring and remembering America's heroes and love for our country and each other. http://www.qksrv.net/click-404250-9494869

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September 11th changed us all in so many ways. Many of us began to look at our friends, colleagues, our neighbors differently. Susan's story is an honest, loving account of her own friendship and how September 11th might have altered it, but instead, it strengthened it.



"Silence Between Friends"
by Susan Spence


I was driving to work that morning, September 11th,  and for me it was just another busy morning. I was on my way to pick up Dr. B when I heard the first announcement. I called my husband and told him to turn on the television and find out what was going on. As I pulled into the parking lot, Dr. B was waiting. We talked for a minute and I told him what I had heard.

The remainder of our drive was in silence as we listened to the radio. Once I arrived at work I went to the office and turned on the television.  From that moment on, my life was changed.

I saw it all on the 8 inch television in my boss's office. The horror and the pain was life-size for me. I continued on through the day in a fog, not certain what I felt. It was sometime after lunch that a sick horrid feeling found its way into the pit of my stomach. Dr. B was my friend, but he was not an American. He had only been here for a few months and he had come from Pakistan. All at once images of torture and fear rose in my chest. So many questions, so much uncertainty. He came to Arkansas from New York, where his brother is a doctor. I was putting two and two together and getting 5. Every day for months I had been picking him up and taking him home, making sure he had transportation whenever he needed it. I was his friend and now I was questioning his motives, his reasons for being here. He is a Muslim and I am a Christian. So what should I do? How shall I act? I needed to know what his thoughts were, how he felt. I needed to know I was safe.

I walked to the back room where he was studying. The words I felt would not come and I knew why. They were hateful, angry words and I really did not want to say them. So in my silence, I looked at him, really looked at him. He raised his head and caught me staring at him. It was at that moment that I saw his soul. His eyes were full of pain and sadness, his beautiful smile was long since gone. I spoke quietly and honestly and told him of my fears.  He understood and told me what it was really like to live with the Taliban so close and how hard life is for most people in Pakistan. He spoke of his dreams to become a veterinarian here in the United States, one that he had dreamt of for several years. He told me about being a Muslim and that true Muslims would never take a life, never. He was kind enough to explain how the Pakistani people do not honor the Taliban but despise it. He spoke with an honesty that anyone would see...he spoke from deep inside with emotions that were real and true.

We continued this conversation for many days and several times I feared for his safety. I came to understand his religion and his person. His a gentle and caring man, so wise to be so young. He has blessed me every day with his simple understanding of life in America. He makes me laugh and now his smile has returned to where it belongs.  At times we speak of the tragedy of September 11th, but it is as friends. We shared the loss and the pain and hopefully, we will never again hear the silence between friends.



Susan Spence  2002
arpoet@aol.com

I am still happily married, working for a wonderful veterinarian and enjoying my friendship with Dr. B.



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Edify your moments of silence and prayer this week with this incredibly moving selection of pages in honor of 9/11, created by Francine Puccillo:
http://poetry-emotion.com/September11_2001/Anniversary_Sitemap.html

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