By Doris Schroeder
As I continue with my office down-sizing, I came across some things I had written in 2001…specifically January 17. Looking back now it is evident that 2001 was the beginning of an explosive society in our world and I will take the next few weeks to share my remembrances of life about that time, so hang onto your seats
If you lived in Hutchinson in 2001, you, like me, will probably never forget that day. I can remember exactly what I was doing when I first heard about it. I was getting ready to paint my living room, had sent John off on a few errands, when I heard a newsflash on the television. A big explosion had taken place in Hutchinson, Kansas. I stopped what I was doing and concentrated on the report. Downtown Hutch, at lst and Washington, had suffered a giant explosion, ripping apart two businesses and possibly more. My first thought was for the people that must have been killed amidst such a tragedy.
Secondly, it occurred to me that hubby and I would be called to help at the Salvation Army Disaster Team and sure enough, the call soon came. As soon as John got home, we zoomed over to the Canteen and helped make sandwiches and coffee for the many workers fighting the fire. It was clear the Decor Shop was completely demolished and I wondered how many had been in the store. As it turned out, no one was seriously hurt and I knew God had been protecting them. The young couple in the store was actually from our Sunday School Class and were not severely hurt although they were dazed. The workers had survived all right, too, much to everyone’s amazement.
It was a really cold day and it seemed as if a darkness had covered the earth. Fall -out from insulation, pieces of glass, bits of metal covered the sidewalks and the scene. The streets were roped off with yellow police tape twisted around an we walked in isolation to get to our canteen. After we started handing out hot coffee to the firemen, some of them had hands so cold we had to put the cup in their hands to warm them. There was a feeling of unreality in the freezing air. Still, everyone kept doing their job and life continued on.
The next morning we woke up thinking the fire would probably be out by then. The TV news, however, reported another explosion had occurred and they thought it all stemmed from the gas under the city. To many people, this was a frightening aspect since it was an unknown hazard. As the week wore on, however, the news became better and it seemed we were on the road to recovery.
Although there was one fatality, it could have been much worse
A writer friend told about his observation of the blast and since his office was only a half block away, he was on the scene only minutes after it happened. “It almost seemed like I was in Hell, since there were fires everywhere and one didn’t know which way to turn!” he declared.
This is an observation that would benefit us all. If a real calamity took us out of this world and into the next, do we truly know where that would be?
We know there is one way to make sure our destination is Heaven and that is by accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. It is then we can have peace even in the most explosive times and any other calamity that comes along.
There were other scary events in 2001 which I will touch on these coming weeks. We can know we can get through them with God’s help if we are honest. It doesn’t look like the world is becoming less dangerous so it behooves us to use caution and follow the path we know will get us through!
It also helps to know where we are headed, our head on straight and our eyes on our destination!
Doris welcomes your comments and can be reached at [email protected]
