Sunday, April 21, 2013

What a week! Praying for Boston while remembering 4/19/95 in OKC

This week was quite a tumultuous week.  The news of the bombings at the Boston marathon were shocking and devastating.  I immediately tried to mentally go through the list of people I know who moved to Boston after high school or college.  They are all safe, and I didn't have any real reason to believe that any of them were at the marathon, but that is the same reaction I had on 9/11 (I have family in NYC.  Only one cousin lived in Manhattan, so it wasn't probable that he was there, but in my mind there was shock, sadness, and "Please God don't let anyone I know be near there).

These kind of actions are heartbreaking and unfathomable to me, and yet, I live in a city that experienced its own tragedy 18 years ago.  Everyone who lives here understands how the events of April 19, 1995 affected this community, even if they were not here at the time.  Military stationed at Tinker Air Force Base come here as part of their orientation, as do members of the Oklahoma City Thunder.  If you speak with someone who lived in the metro area at the time, they will share their memories of that day and how far away they were, yet still felt the after shock.  

I already had plans to make a trip to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial this week, but after everything else in the world seemed especially crazy the need to go, reflect, and pray was greater than ever.  In this post, I will share some pictures I took at the memorial.


This is a statue on the corner of NW 5th and Hudson.  Jesus is weeping with his back to the site.


A closer look at the face of Jesus covering his face and weeping.


Inscription


The view from outside the memorial, across the street from the statue.


This is part of the original fence used to protect the site.  People began bringing tokens of love, hope, and remembrance. 


People continue to bring and leave mementos today.  Some are archived in the museum.


A view through the chain link fence into the outdoor memorial.



Remembering lost loved ones.



My sorority letters, left by or remembering an unknown sister.


Letters and pictures left by children who lost their mother in the bombing.  They now have their own children and told their mother about her grandchildren and ways that they know she is still with them.


The reflecting pool, facing the 9:01 a.m. gate, the time of innocence one minute before the blast.


A sign explaining the field of empty chairs, which symbolize the 168 lives lost.


The field of chairs.


Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, in the surviving building next door.


The field of empty chairs and flags flying half mast for Boston.


The flags against the skyline.  The large tower is the Devon Tower, fairly new to the OKC skyline.


Each chair has the name of a victim.  There are smaller chairs for the children lost.  Families leave things for their loved ones.



The Survivor Tree, a 90+ year old oak tree that survived the blast and now stands for human resiliency.


Surviving structure on the east wall.


The surviving east wall with a list of survivors from surrounding buildings.  The granite was taken from the wreckage.



The reflecting pool, facing the field of empty chairs and the 9:03 am gate marking the time when everything changed after the blast.


The Survivor Tree


The gates of time frame 9:02 am, the time of the explosion.


A message spray painted on the wall of the building next door by a member of one of the rescue teams.


Sunshine through the limbs of the Survivor Tree.


View from under the Survivor Tree





The reflecting pool is where NW 5th Street used to run.




I could hear families explaining the events that happened hear to their children.  One child asked if they used airplanes.  How sad that in my lifetime so many acts of terror have occurred and I will have to explain these events to my children.  There is another area for children that I didn't venture to where they can share their art and feelings in chalk, near some painted tiles sent by other children in response to the event.


Surviving structure





Next weekend will be the Memorial Marathon.  Many runners will wear green shoe laces and red socks in honor of Boston.


This life size crucifix is located in the east wall of St. Joseph's Old Cathedral at NW 4th and Hudson.  The building had some damage from the explosion, but the crucifix on this wall was not damaged.  You could literally sit at the feet of Jesus and pray during quite times at this church.

I had thought about going back and taking some pictures at night to include (the gates and chairs light up) but I think I have more than enough pictures for one post.  I will continue to pray for those in Boston and remember that this is most unfortunately, not the first event of its kind.