Premonition or Preparation
It was never my privilege to have known Russ Keene…and, in truth, all that I can say know is that I know a little about him.
Leo Russell Keene III, “Russ,” was killed in the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City on the day that we have come to know as “9-11.” As best as I can understand these are the circumstances of his death. He was employed as a financial analyst, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a firm on the 89th floor of the south tower. He called his wife, Kristen and his two-year old daughter Mayzalle from his office immediately after the first plane struck the first tower. He told his wife that they were beginning to evacuate the building. Shortly, thereafter, the second plane hit the second tower. He and several co-workers were in an elevator at the time. The elevator went into a “freefall” and got stuck right above the first floor. Using his laptop, as a flashlight, Russ found a narrow crack in the elevators. Try as they might, they were only able to partly open the elevator. The opening was so small that only two petite women, Russ’ co-workers, were able to escape the elevator. As they made it to safety, Russ told the two women, “I hope that I have not offended God in any way while I have been here on earth. But, if I have, I hope he forgives me.”
Before the firefighters could come back to help Russ and the others, the whole building collapsed.
Wednesday morning, I sat in stony silence as I heard the roll call of those innocents whose lives were suddenly cut short by an abominable act of evil. As Russ’ name was called, Matt Lauer of the NBC show, marked the time that the South Tower has fallen.
I, like many of you, remember all too clearly the events of “9-11.” Throughout that day, as I sat paralyzed in front of the television, I was getting reports and updates on persons from our community who were in NYC and in proximity to the World Trade Center that day. About mid-afternoon, I received the call from one of our church members that there was a Russ Keene who was among those missing. It was her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Clyde’s brother. Russ, Chris and Jennifer had grown up in our church, they were the grandchildren of Lena and Raymond Nelson.
First, the hours passed and then, the days and weeks before it was determined that Russ had never made it out of that elevator. I cannot imagine the grief and pain and loss for the Keene family, for his wife and child and for all who knew him.
In the wake of his death, his wife Kristen found a letter. In it, Russ told of a “feeling” that he had that he might die young and unexpectedly. He wanted her and the family to know that he was going to be all right. . He needed them to know that he loved them and that his life, while cut short, had value. He gave details about things that he knew she would need to take care of. And, he professed a faith in God and Jesus as His Savior.
Some might say, after reading a letter like that, that Russ had a “premonition” or a “foretelling” of his own untimely death. I do not think so. I believe that one of the lessons that we can all learn from Russ Keene’s death is that he was prepared to die. His life was in order, his “business” was “taken care of” and he lived each day of his life, ready...for whatever may come…whatever that was…and, probably the last words that he uttered were a simple prayer of confession to the God whom he knew and whom he served: “I hope that I have not offended God in any way while I have been here on earth. But, if I have, I hope he forgives me.”
In the funeral liturgy for our church, there is a prayer that when we pray, we say, “Give to us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death, we may see the light of eternity. Speak to us once more your solemn message of life and of death. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And, when our days here are accomplished, enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you, and that nothing on life or death will be able to separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
Thank you Russ Keene for the vision with which you held the light of eternity. May it be so with all of our lives.
This is that prayer that I prayed at Russ’ memorial service at Henning Memorial UMC on November 17th…Many times, during these 10 years, I have prayed it, again and again….
Lord, we can’t cry hard enough…
Yes, we come to celebrate a life well-lived but, it is a life that was shortened by a most horrific act of evil. We cannot/ will not forget that day. It is forever etched in our minds…
And, for that we can’t cry hard enough…
We pray that in this hour as we shrink before the mystery of death that our tears, our hurts, our fears, our angers, our mistrust and our grief start to be healed…
Lord, we can’t cry hard enough…
We can remember a husband, father, son, brother, family member and friend…
We can remember a life of quality and character, of integrity and charity, of sacrifice and of love…
We can remember a man of faith…
We can remember a man of promise…
We can remember a man who knew no strangers…
We can remember a family man
We can remember a man whose hope and trust was placed in your hands…
Yes, Lord, we can’t cry hard enough but, we can remember…and we can pray…
We can pray for Kristen and Mayzalle…
We can pray for Susan and Allan….for Russ and Lynn…for Chris and Jennifer and their families…
We can pray for help…for hope…for healing…
We can pray for sacrificial love…yours and that which you place in our hearts…
We can pray that as the days go on, the tears are fewer…the memories are clearer and the prayers have brought to us Your blessed peace that passes all of our understandings….
In the name of Jesus….Amen.
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