A Race to Remember

Michael after he finished the 1/2 Marathon
In front the the reflecting pool at the Memorial. Michael was explaining the bombing and the significance of the Memorial.
And Jesus Wept.
Each chair represents a person killed in the bombing. The large chairs represent each adult. The small chairs represent each child. Each chair has engraved on it the name of a person who was killed that day.

We had a wonderful, wonderful weekend with my longtime friend, Sally, in Oklahoma City a few weeks ago. We went up there to see their home, enjoy the fellowship of dear friends, and watch our hubbies run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. They actually ran the half and did great!

This was a very special race for the city. It began and ended at the Oklahoma National Memorial which was built to remember the men, women and children whose lives were taken during the bombing of the Alfred P.Murrah Building on April 19,1995. I remember vividly watching the news coverage from my college apartment right after the bomb went off. Half of the building was gone. I remember the frantic faces of parents looking for their children in the daycare center located on the first floor of the building, knowing full well that that entire section of the building no longer existed. The image of the firefighter carrying the baby will forever be recognized as a symbol of the evil that took place that day.

What I realized during this annual marathon is that those images are still alive and well today in the hearts of those so closely touched by this needless tragedy. Family members and friends run or walk in memory of their loved one. Family members personally place medals around the necks of competetors when they cross the finish line. The chairs at the memorial symbolizing each person who died that day are covered with the medals and race numbers of those that ran in their honor. It is truly a sight to behold.

This memorial is so well done. There are two gates on each side of the reflecting pool. The East gate reads 9:01. It is the minute of peace before the attack. Everyone was going about their day. The West gate reads 9:03. It symbolizes the horror that took place after the 9:02 explosion. On the front of the memorial it reads, "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

My favorite part of the memorial, though, is the statue placed across the street from it. Have you been there? If so, I know that you, too, will never forget that image. It is a statue of Jesus. His back is turned to the site, his head in his hands. It reads, "And Jesus Wept." It makes me teary even now. It was such an incredible teaching moment for our boys. They learned there that man is sinful. They learned there that bad things do happen to good people because of sin. They learned there that Jesus is a God who allows tragedy for some eternal purpose. They learned there that Jesus cares.

We hope to make this race an annual family tradition. I pray that each year our boys will be reminded of our need for a Savior.