It was so great to come into work today and see the American flag proudly draped next to our company name. We all remember what we were doing and where we were when we heard the news of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Our Home Office was located directly along the path of the west runway into O’Hare Airport and so is my home. We were all used to the constant flow of airplanes overhead so there was an eerie silence for several days following September 11.
Knowing that our lawn was visible from the air and also in a high-traffic area, we decided that we could take advantage of our location to carve out a message. Joe Slavicek, our warehouse manager and a Vietnam veteran, spray-painted a huge red, white and blue heart on our lawn with the words U.S.A. in the center. Then we gave all our employees a flag and each one planted a flag around the heart as we joined hands in prayer for the people who were lost, the families who were grieving and for God to give our country strength to recover from this tragedy. Cars and trucks passed by and honked their horns and smiled at our message.
Several days later the planes began to fly again. We will never know if passengers and staff in the airplanes flying overhead saw our message, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the action we took, the prayer we shared and the moment that is engraved in all our hearts.
Two days later on my way into work there was a gentle rain falling that had created a rainbow. As I passed over the top of a bridge I could see the rainbow stretching across the whole Chicago skyline with an airplane right in the middle of it poised for its landing at O’Hare Airport. I felt like it was God’s way of saying, “I will be with you always,” not just to me, but to the city and to our country. That moment also will be engraved in my heart forever.
September 11 changed a lot of things, but it didn’t change the determination of our people to overcome challenges and keep the American dream alive. Today is a day to reflect on all the blessings we have and reconfirm our faith in the future and our faith in God’s guiding hand. So today, as we did in 2001, we once again are reminded to pray for the victims, the families who are still grieving and for God to give our country strength.
God Bless America!
Knowing that our lawn was visible from the air and also in a high-traffic area, we decided that we could take advantage of our location to carve out a message. Joe Slavicek, our warehouse manager and a Vietnam veteran, spray-painted a huge red, white and blue heart on our lawn with the words U.S.A. in the center. Then we gave all our employees a flag and each one planted a flag around the heart as we joined hands in prayer for the people who were lost, the families who were grieving and for God to give our country strength to recover from this tragedy. Cars and trucks passed by and honked their horns and smiled at our message.
Several days later the planes began to fly again. We will never know if passengers and staff in the airplanes flying overhead saw our message, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the action we took, the prayer we shared and the moment that is engraved in all our hearts.
Two days later on my way into work there was a gentle rain falling that had created a rainbow. As I passed over the top of a bridge I could see the rainbow stretching across the whole Chicago skyline with an airplane right in the middle of it poised for its landing at O’Hare Airport. I felt like it was God’s way of saying, “I will be with you always,” not just to me, but to the city and to our country. That moment also will be engraved in my heart forever.
September 11 changed a lot of things, but it didn’t change the determination of our people to overcome challenges and keep the American dream alive. Today is a day to reflect on all the blessings we have and reconfirm our faith in the future and our faith in God’s guiding hand. So today, as we did in 2001, we once again are reminded to pray for the victims, the families who are still grieving and for God to give our country strength.
God Bless America!
