I remember this day so well.

I grew up in the Oklahoma City Area, my family has been there for 100 years. I was married there, my children born there, and I lived there on that awful day. Our life was intwined in the community and those that worked at the Murrah Building.

I remember those that died. Some that had watched me turn from a teenager to a father.....and had doted on my kids while employees of  a credit union, a place I personally banked from the time I was 16. I think about the children that died and pray for their parents and families.

I remember the fear I had for my father……then the sweet sound of his voice on a phone, confirming that he was at home and not in court that day (he parked at the Fed building). I remember the pain the people of my hometown community felt as this tragic event unfolded. I remember trying to explain this to my 6 and 8 year old children and seeing the fear and confusion in their eyes. I remember the next day embracing an elderly lady at the grocery store as she wept. I remember a community that came together to support each other in a tragic time.

But, I try to turn away from the awful feelings……….and remember how I felt a few days later when for just a few hours in this numbing madness……….I was able hear the most important sounds in life……….the laughter of children……..when I was coaching in a little league game two days later…….I remember so well how our stands were FULL of families……..escaping, but for a moment, in the laughter and delight of our children. A momentary escape……..but a memory that sustained us over the weeks……and is now burned in my mind……as a reminder of the most important elements of life.

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/