De Plane Boss! De Plane!

No, I'm not talking Fantasy Island, although that was a really fun show to watch back in the '80s. Too bad TV isn't what it used to be. That was back when it was truly must see.

Anyhow, God has given our little M very keen senses, including sight. There can be a plane at its peak altitude 10 miles away, but she sees that little trail of atmosphere and knows there is a plane in the sky. And she will point out each one she sees.

But do you remember the day the planes stopped? I do. I was on the bus to campus. We were sitting at the light at MLK and I-35 and a fellow passenger ends his cell phone conversation by announcing that a plane just hit the World Trade Center. Like probably most Americans, I told him "Ha Ha. Very funny. That's not something to joke about." But he was serious. I had worked in the EHS building during the summer and knew the President had a TV in his office, which was only a block away from where the bus left off at the Stadium. It was no joke. A minute after I get to the office the second plane hits. It was such a surreal day. It was the only thing people could talk about in class. The professor acknowledged it and then quickly got on with the day's lesson. But when I got home, I just sat in front of the TV and the computer, watching the horrific reality that we were not safe. I mean, terrorism happens in Africa, Europe and Asia. Not the US. How do the Israelis do it? Bombings, fire-fights, and kidnappings week in and week out. The part of the aftermath that had the most gravity with me was for weeks there were no planes in the sky. And living around 5 miles from ABIA, that's something that you notice quickly.

But will M ever understand that moment? Unfortunately, I think she will. There will come a day when a guy with pictures and schematics of Mansfield Dam and the Frost Bank Tower slip past a diligent patrolman and back to his cell to plot their insidious attack. She will be touched by terrorism. But will she have a President that will take a stand, albeit a tenuous, unilateral stand, against our enemies? Sure W hasn't had the best foreign policy, but would Al Gore or Flip-Flop Kerry have had the stones to do what he did? I faced some fairly harsh treatment by some guys while I was an RA at Texas, but nothing compared to the vitriol that President Bush receives, even daily. Only time will tell Bush's legacy, but I say "Thank You President Bush" for doing what you believed God was calling you to do. Remember that you are not the only one going through such trials, but you have a Friend who sticks closer than a brother, who has been tempted and tried in every way, but was without sin. Keep your eyes on Him, and you will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

God bless America.