America Shares Grief with Minneapolis - Many Miracles amid the Mayhem

Top fire fighter, Chief Jim Clark of the Minneapolisafter visiting the site of the disaster on Friday
Fire Department exclaimed that the first miracleAugust 3, 2007 only hours after the bridge
was the low death toll. Clark said, "We werecollapsed she said, "people have been encouraged
surprised that we didn't have more peopleand their spirits lifted after hearing "so many good
seriously injured and killed, I think it wasstories."
something of a miracle." With upwards of 500Laura Bush, who is heralded for possessing some
cars crossing the bridge at any given momentof the most powerful maternal instincts in any
that qualifies as a miracle for most of us.First Lady in our history, threw her attention on
Other stories are emerging even as rescuers arenurturing what remains and not centering on what
still combing the rapidly moving waters of theis lost. No reports indicate that her visit and her
murky Mississippi. Divers rushed to the scene withwords were anything but consoling and were
hopes that if they responded quickly they mightwelcomed.
find victims who found ways to survive inPresident Bush also visited the site to assess the
pockets of air or that were only partiallydamages and to see how the Federal
submerged in their vehicles. Although that hopeGovernment can help in recovery efforts. In a
was deferred they are still risking their lives in thebrief but meaningful statement President Bush
dangerous waters to help account for thecalled for prayer when the news first reached him
casualties and provide accounting for victimsduring a cabinet meeting. He said he thanked
families.fellow Americans that were lifting up those
Hundreds of ordinary citizens were said to haveinvolved in prayer." Many Americans know we
shown up immediately and offered to help inhave a praying President and most are thankful
rescue work. Some didn't wait and were foundthat we have a leader that calls upon God to help
trying to assist anyone of the survivors theythose he is charged with governing.
could. Minnesotans can be proud of the UniversityThe Minnesota Twins baseball team was saddled
of Minneapolis students who also showed up inwith a perplexing situation at the time of the
numbers and offered help. Most were asked tobridge collapse. The game against the Royals was
stay clear when professional rescuers arrived forscheduled to start only one hour after the bridge
their own safety but their effort will not gocollapsed. Not wanting to put twenty five
unnoticed.thousand fans back out on to city streets the
Some witnesses said that when the bus load ofTwins decided to go on with the game. Although
58 children was seen teetering on the edge of asagging in the league this season the Twins
collapsed section of the bridge it took their breathscored a different kind of win on the evening of
away. Similarly breathtaking was the news that allthe I-35W bridge collapse.
58 passengers escaped unharmed.The team Minnesotans love, which has produced
One 9 year old girl called her father from the busgreats such as Harmon Killebrew lost to the
on her cell phone. When interviewed by Fox NewsRoyals on that fateful day but won a bigger
the little girl seem more composed than hergame in the hearts of Minnesotans and all
father who was visibly shaken and looked like heAmericans when they tastefully called for a
was fighting to hold back the tears.moment of silence for the victims and rescuers
The grandmother of two African American schoolat the I-35W site. The moment of silence was
girls, Samarra aged 6 and Josette aged 4 saidannounced in the Metrodome over the public
that even though the girls' faces were disheveledaddress system and it is reported that you could
and dirty when she first saw them "It just had ahear a pin drop in the deep silence produced by
glow like it was an angel. It just brought 'em backthe 25,000 fans. Hats off to the Minnesota Twins!
to us."The catastrophe in Minnesota amplifies the noted
Words like "It was a miracle" or "I thank God heenigmatic nature of almost all American citizens. It
helped me" were commonly heard amongis best summarized in the familiar adage, "when
survivors. The immediate reactions of thethey're bad, they're very bad - but when they're
survivors sounded more like a time of testimonygood, they're very good." Perhaps the one
in a church than interviews with disaster survivors.tragedy that seems greater than the tragedy in
The Salvation Army was on hand immediatelyMinneapolis is that Americans don't often get so
along with other organizations and the Southerngood until after a tragedy.
Baptist relief unit stationed in Minnesota offered itsLet it not be said that this old gospel preacher did
help as needed. The Red Cross wasted no timenot appendage an article of this kind without a
getting on the scene and conducting a blood drivescriptural admonition. It is carefully chosen and is
and calling for contributions to aid victims' familiesmeant to remind Americans that when alleviating
through the "Twin Cities Chapter of the Americansuffering, grief and affliction you are never more
Red Cross." Blood drives are being conducted byclose to God.
the Memorial Blood Centers of Minnesota."And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and
First Lady Laura Bush gently tried to steer thesatisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in
attention of Minnesotans away from theobscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day.
calamitous to the consoling. In a statement issued