Day 3: Oklahoma City

Heather: After visiting St Joseph's Old Cathedral for Mass this morning, we ventured across the street to the Oklahoma City National Monument. The only more moving monument to loss of American life that I know is Arlington Cemetery. The entire site holds grief and symbolism and gratitude that all equal hope and rebuilding and courage. I hate to say I have a favorite part, but I really connected with the Survivor Tree, an American Elm that stood outside the Murrah Building. Despite being severely damaged in the blast, the tree survived. As a matter of fact, the Survivor Tree is twice a survivor, because it was originally planted in the back yard of a private home in the 1920s, that was torn down in order for the Federal Building to be built on the site. The tree survived. The worst part was seeing the children who were killed in the onsite day care, and the interviews with their parents who hoped their babies had survived when I already knew that they had not. The Oklahoma City National Momument was far more moving than I expected it to be, and more inspiring.

Janelle: I have never before encountered a museum that literally moved me to tears. When I entered the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum it was like stepping back in time--like 9:02 am on April 19, 1995, had been permanently frozen between two enchanted gates, and I was actually there, experiencing it, as a terrorist's bomb blew up in front of the Murrah Building and killed 168 people. It's hard to describe the museum without going on for pages and pages about it; it's really something you need to experience for yourself. But I can say that it truly is a testament to the goodness and resilience of the human spirit--and, unfortunately, to its potential evil as well. To think that someone would actually load up a truck with explosives and park it intentionally in front of a building full of innocent people--and children...
In the Gallery of Honor I found a little girl named Jaci Coyne who died in the explosion on that day. She was born on February 9, 1994--just one day before I was born. She would be the same age as me now, sixteen years old, if she had lived...