HE SAID/SHE SAID: Fog lifting after terrorist attack

___ The fog in my brain is finally beginning to lift. After becoming an insatiable news junky for days, I've finally torn myself away from the papers and television (at least until I finish this column). ALISON WINGFIELD ___ At first, I was just mesmerized in horror at the images coming across the screen from New York City and Washington. As I watched the World Trade Center towers crumble one right after the other, the real tragedy, the people caught inside and around them, began to penetrate my consciousness. And then to compound the grief, hearing the news that the terrorists had hijacked our own planes and used them in these assaults made me almost throw up. I sat on the couch and just wept. I hoped the Holy Spirit was speaking for me, because I couldn't even find the words to lift up in prayer beyond "Oh, God." ___ All afternoon, I fretted over what to tell our 9-year-old boys. ___ The way the boys handled the tragedy was typical of their personalities. Not wanting to scare them to death, but realizing they needed to know what was going on, I tried to stick to the basic facts--two planes hit the World Trade Center towers and another one hit the Pentagon. ___ Luke wouldn't let me stop there. He wanted to know what kind of planes they were, how many people were in the planes, why did the terrorists do this, questions, questions, questions. And Garrett was the opposite. He didn't want to hear any more about it, had his hands over his ears and avoided being anywhere near the TV. So I had Luke bombarding me with questions and Garrett yelling at Luke because he didn't want to hear about it. ___ We've now reached a happy medium. Garrett is slowly processing the events and seeking more information, and Luke has slowed down on his need to know everything. There was a vivid moment when Luke finally realized that there were innocent people on those planes and not just hijackers. ___ "Mom, do you mean there were people on those planes?" he asked in horror. ___ Now both boys have vowed they don't ever want to fly again. And their mother isn't too sure she does herself, but I didn't tell them that. Mark Wingfield is managing editor of the Standard. Alison Wingfield is a freelance writer. The Wingfields moved to Texas from Louisville, Ky., where Mark had been editor of the Western Recorder, in which this column appeared weekly. ___Unfortunately, Alison caught the brunt of the boys' initial questions Tuesday, because I had been stranded in Harlingen. Unable to take my scheduledflight back to Dallas Tuesday afternoon, I was MARK WINGFIELD driving most of the length of Texas in a rent car while she fielded questions at home. ___ Despite our best intentions, that's the way it always seems to fall. Dad's off working when the big questions of life coming spewing forth. ___ We were able to put a more positive spin on things at church Wednesday night, where I teach the boys' fourth-grade missions class. I told the boys about the work of Baptist missionaries in New York City, people who were lending tremendous assistance to those in need. ___ That made us all feel better, yet we still struggled with the reality of what was unfolding around us. ___ Garrett's school teacher, who is a member of our church, told me about a girl in the class who privately expressed concern to him about the week's events because she and her family are Muslims. Her fear caused her to backtrack quickly, explaining that her parents had warned her not to tell anyone they are Muslims. ___ While apparently not making the connection between this classmate and Muslims, others of her classmates were beginning to express concern about how Muslim-Americans might be treated. Even at their young age, some of them were all too aware of how the United States treated Japanese-Americans during World War II. ___ Back at home, Alison has been trying to buy an American flag for days now and can't find one anywhere. The boys made some out of construction paper and have them displayed in their bedroom window. ___ Like most American neighborhoods right now, ours is awash in flags. Thursday morning, as I was out running just before dawn, I saw a man down the street from us come out of his house carrying a large American flag on a study pole. It was obvious he was going to mount it in his front yard. ___ Moments later, as I had passed by this house, I heard noises coming from behind. As I slowed to look over my shoulder, I saw this lone neighbor standing in his front yard by the flag he had posted. With the sun barely beginning to peek over the housetops, there he stood, singing in a loud baritone voice "The Star-Spangled Banner." ___

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