{"id":694,"date":"2011-10-14T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2011-10-14T10:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/americainuniform\/?p=694"},"modified":"2011-09-18T14:18:14","modified_gmt":"2011-09-18T14:18:14","slug":"meet-me-in-the-stairwell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/americainuniform\/2011\/10\/meet-me-in-the-stairwell.html","title":{"rendered":"MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL"},"content":{"rendered":"

This selection is from one of our subscribers who states, \u201dPlease read to the very end; it is beautiful!!!\u201d\u00a0 Yes, it is.\u00a0 Thanks, Betty Jean!\u00a0 Cpt. Otis<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>‘MEET\u00a0 ME IN THE STAIRWELL’<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Stacey Randall<\/strong><\/p>\n

You say you will never forget where you were when
\nyou heard the news On September 11, 2001.
\nNeither will I.<\/p>\n

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
\nwith a man who called his\u00a0 wife to say ‘Good-Bye.’\u00a0 I
\nheld his fingers steady as he dialed.\u00a0 I gave him the
\npeace to say, \u201cHoney, I am not going to make it, but it
\nis OK.\u00a0 I am ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
\nbreakfast to their children.\u00a0 I held her up as she
\ntried to understand his words and as she realized
\nhe wasn’t coming home that night.<\/p>\n

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
\nwoman cried out to Me for help.\u00a0 \u201cI have been
\nknocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!\u201d I said.
\n\u201cOf course I will show you the way home – only
\nbelieve in Me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
\nministering to the injured and devastated souls.
\nI took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven.\u00a0 He
\nheard my voice and answered.<\/p>\n

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
\nwith every prayer.\u00a0 I was with the crew as they
\nwere overtaken.\u00a0 I was in the very hearts of the
\nbelievers there, comforting and assuring them that their
\nfaith has saved them.<\/p>\n

I was in Texas, Virginia, California, Michigan, Afghanistan.
\nI was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
\nDid you sense Me?<\/p>\n

I want you to know that I saw every face.\u00a0 I knew
\nevery name – though not all know Me.\u00a0 Some met Me
\nfor the first time on the 86th floor.<\/p>\n

Some sought Me with their last breath.
\nSome couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the
\nsmoke and flames; \u201cCome to Me… this way… take
\nmy hand.\u201d\u00a0 Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
\nBut, I was there.<\/p>\n

I did not place you in the Tower that day.\u00a0 You
\nmay not know why, but I do.\u00a0 However, if you were
\nthere in that explosive moment in time, would you have
\nreached for Me?<\/p>\n

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
\nfor you.\u00a0 But someday your journey will end.\u00a0 And I
\nwill be there for you as well.\u00a0 Seek Me now while I may
\nbe found.\u00a0 Then, at any moment, you know you are
\n‘ready to go.’<\/p>\n

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.<\/p>\n

\n

Loyal Subscribers!\u00a0 We need some help.\u00a0 The purpose of our “Heart” section is to publish stories of the experiences, contributions and sacrifices of our military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) and public service personnel (police officers, fire fighters, EMS, merchant marines and others in the public sector) as well as stories of their families.\u00a0 Please search your memory and computer for a few and\u00a0send them to Bill\u00a0(CPT Otis) O’Quin at boquin@ix.netcom.com<\/a><\/strong> for possible publication. \u00a0Thanks!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Important links for updated military\/defense information:
\nThe Daily News Briefing<\/a><\/strong>:<\/a> Today’s News for the U.S. Military, their families and friends.
\n The Military Trivia Challenge:<\/a><\/strong> Register and test your knowledge about military history.
\n U.S. Department of Defense:<\/a><\/strong> Military Defense News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This selection is from one of our subscribers who states, \u201dPlease read to the very end; it is beautiful!!!\u201d\u00a0 Yes, it is.\u00a0 Thanks, Betty Jean!\u00a0 Cpt. Otis ‘MEET\u00a0 ME IN THE STAIRWELL’ By Stacey Randall You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interesting-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nMEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL - America in Uniform<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/americainuniform\/2011\/10\/meet-me-in-the-stairwell.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL - America in Uniform\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This selection is from one of our subscribers who states, \u201dPlease read to the very end; it is beautiful!!!\u201d\u00a0 Yes, it is.\u00a0 Thanks, Betty Jean!\u00a0 Cpt. 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