April 19, 1995. The day that forever changed Oklahoma. We became a ball of fear, caution and grief. But at the same time we turned to each other for comfort. We leaned more on our faith. Hugged our children tighter. Loved our neighbors more. Oklahoma was on display for the world. That same world embraced us and became a smaller place. We became stronger.
The Survivor Tree~ a 90-year-old American Elm that was witness to the violence of April 19. “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.”
May we never forget ♥
stuff i tell my sister 
It’s terrible what’s going on in the world.
sad and frightening ♥
Sadly these indelible days are becoming too many.
you are right ♥
I’ve been there – the chairs are so haunting – but every inch of the memorial is so thoughtfully arranged. It’s a sad and special place.
Agree….hallowed ground. A similar feeling to when at The Wall in D.C. We were still living in the OKC area when this happened and were, in fact, in route to downtown OKC for an orchestra performance at the Civic Center. A frightening day. Hubby knew the boys and I were headed there ….he was an hour away the other direction….and phones were jammed because of the tragedy. Seems like it was just yesterday.
I was living in Oregon – a coworker was from OKC – it was such a struggle for her over those days.
I bet it was….you just wanna be “home” when tragedy strikes.
It’s that many years ago already – and our world haven’t gone any better or safer … how can we protect ourselves??? Terrible, lived in UK when the bombs in the underground went off. So unreal.
No, we should never forget …. and we should also remember all those in all countries that had to pay with their lives for others believes and opinions – happen in so many places and it still will, that is the worst bit of it.
You are right. So many sacrifice everyday…and we take it for granted. ♥
Love your post .. forgotten to say the.
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It is good to be reminded of these horrible acts of disturbed, evil people. When we aren’t personally affected, we tend to forget the hearts that are still breaking over the loss of loved ones. Now we need to be in prayer for those who are grieving in Boston, and those who came from around the world to participate in this event. Our beautiful country is no longer a safe refuge. God help us!
You are right, Delores. So many dates committed to the heart because of senseless hatred. May God help us, indeed ♥
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So say we all… it was a very moving experience to visit the Memorial when I first flew over to Oklahoma, in September 2003…
That it is….having walked that turf before the thought of a bomb, and then being there immediately after….it is hard to describe the emotions.
Yeah, I can only imagine how that must feel… I couldn’t possible begin to relate to that…
Thank you so much for the photos and for sharing. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed…although I was clear across the country, I can remember crying for days at the losses. I can still easily recall the images from the daycare center. At that time I was the director of a preschool and it somehow hit home–all those many miles away! It’s important never to forget, and this week I heard the Oklahoma Bombing mentioned more than in recent years, for obvious reasons. I would really love to visit the memorial some day. oxo
It does seem like yesterday. I don’t like rethinking it…but it is part of our life. It was all so senseless. And it touched so many lives in many different ways. I’m cannot imagine what you must have felt after that…looking at your own preschool children. Wanting to protect them even more. If you do ever have the opportunity to visit the memorial…it will speak to you. It is such sacred ground. ♥
It seems that April is a month that inspires violence, and it is such a beautiful month. Your post is very moving. We do remember, and we should be reminded. This is not how we want to live our lives. Terrorism by individuals is our horrific modern American tragedy. Thanks for sharing this.
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The first time I visited the memorial it felt very tumultuous. The sight was still garish and my heart was full of too many emotions. The second time I visited (about 5 years later) it was very peaceful…Rest easy my friends, I won’t forget.
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Reblogged this on stuff i tell my sister and commented:
Remembering 4-19-1995 ~like it was yesterday ♥
As I remembered and honored the victims of April 16th (VIrginia Tech, just 20 minutes from my home), I thought of the Oklahoma tragedy, and the Boston Marathon tragedy as well. Thank you for this post
Yes….so many tragedies. So many lives forever changed. ♥
Thank you for this post. As someone said above, the days we need to remember are becoming too many in number. May that not take away from any of the remembrance needed for those days and those lives.
You are so right…..a frightening world we live in sometimes…..too MANY times. ♥
I visited the memorial site and will never forget the empty chairs, especially the little one for the children whose lives were cut short by the tragedy. Thank you for the powerful post and reminder.
Russ
Our boys were little guys when this happened. This was a hard one to explain when I myself could find no reasoning in it. We stood on our back deck and watched the smoke rising in downtown OKC that day. A twenty minute drive from our rural town….moments later we learned what happened. We truly will never forget. ♥