The tasks of daily life with 3 young children have left me little time to myself lately, but today I do not complain. Today I pause and thank God, again, for my children, thank Him that they are still with me. I keep deleting words, trying to find how to say what I want to say when in reality, words really do fail me at the moment, as I remember the tragic events of 15 years ago today. The Oklahoma City bombing.
April 18 was my oldest child’s 6th birthday. While we celebrated his birthday, I could not forget that it was also the birthday of one of the youngest victim’s of that horrible event on April 19, 1995. Baylee Almon would have turned 16 yesterday–it’s now the 20th as I type this, in EDT, but it’s still the 19th in CDT, OKC time–but she will, for most of the world, forever be the baby in the firefighter’s arms. One of 168. One of too many whose lives have been cut short by the evil of terrorism.
Since more words fail me now, and tears threaten to flood my keyboard, I share this link to words much better than mine: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/18/1273934/can-we-do-better-in-honor-of-baylee.html
I too, think of Baylee, and the other victims (even if I don’t know or remember their names) every April 19. I hug my firstborn, and grieve that Baylee’s mom, and too many other mothers, can no longer do the same. When my son is older, I will explain to him about the tragedy, about the little girl, whose photo shows a little girl not unlike his younger sister (currently 29 months), who became the symbol of the tragedy, and with whom he shares a birthday.
