Quiet In New York City

Monday, July 15, 2002, was a normal, very hot day in New York City. Rodney and I were on a whirlwind, three-day trip with our sons, plus Rodney's sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and friend from New Zealand. It was not Rodney's or my first trip, but the other seven people were enjoying the sights of the "Big Apple" for the first time.

The main place we all wanted to visit was Ground Zero. We took the subway from Times Square to St. Paul's Chapel. As we climbed the steps to the street, there was a sudden and noticeable change. People were walking in the same direction. All were looking at the hundreds of thousands of tributes to the people who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Pictures, flowers, shoes and Bibles were placed on the iron fence around the church. Everyone was looking, pointing and whispering.

But the noises that usually engulf the city were gone. There was a silence that was unbelievable. There was a true reverence for this place that is across the street to where the nearly three thousand people died on Sept. 11, 2001.

As we walked around the fence, stopping to look at many of the memorials, the quiet was so peaceful. There were none of the loud noises that are usually heard in one of the largest cities in the world. No cabs and cars honking, no people yelling and screaming, no bells, no whistles. Instead, there was just very soft talking and tears.

Then we saw the huge hole where the World Trade Center once stood. It truly took our breath away. That horrible day and everything that happened became extremely clear once again. As we looked up at the buildings on all sides of where the World Trade Center stood, we noticed the damage to all of the skyscrapers. But we quickly noticed that St. Paul's Chapel was not touched. This was, at first, a shock to the members of our group from New Zealand. Then I stated, "If you didn't believe in God before, certainly you believe in him now." I guess that the old saying of "God works in mysterious ways" is very true indeed. St. Paul's Chapel stands as a sign of God's grace that reminds us that, even in the darkness of that horrible day in our history, the light still shines.

— Pam Rawlinson

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist