Not the thoughts you want to have after a wonderful July 4th celebration with the kids and parents at Chicago's Navy Pier!
With family visiting from India, we decided to go to the Navy Pier to enjoy the fireworks. The 4 adults and 3 kids were plopped right by the water and a lovely picnic. At 9:30 the fireworks began and it was mesmerizing. We generally see this from afar, but watching the reflection on the water, with the songs and fireworks in synchronized fashion has its charm!
We clapped, enjoyed and after fireworks ended, decided to wait for the crowds to disperse. With the young kids and MIL, it would be easier. So we plopped on a bench and were just chatting about the display. My SIL and her daughter decided to go in the pier for a quick rest room pit stop.
Suddenly!
Yes suddenly we saw thousands of people running towards us screaming. We froze in our spots not knowing what was going on. We ducked behind the very bench we were sitting on. May be 30-60 seconds later, everyone just stopped. We stood up and said to our bystander, wonder what that was about! And then we see swarms of cops yelling at the crowds to "Get Down NOW, Take cover. "
And I slam dunked my 11 year old and 6 year old again on the floor. It just got more real. My MIL cannot sit on the ground, I see my husband just giving her cover with the back to the cops.
My girls are starting to scream and I really want them to be quiet, just in case "they" hear them.
One is below my arm and the other is holding my hand. Both are shaking and may be it was me also. I look at them and ask them to look at me. And just tell them "Sing Navakar" our daily chant.
I needed them to focus on as we hear screams around us. And that's what they did. Looking straight into my eyes with tears streaming down their cheeks. They just chanted and are curled up like little babies. I see Sumit and his mom as bend down as physically possible 5 ft. ahead. We lay there. And then 10-15 minutes pass by I think.
We see a cop come to us and tell us "IT IS SAFE, YOU CAN GET UP NOW"
The girls and I are frozen, he repeats and we stood up still unsure. There is a chaotic scene around us, but we stay focused on looking at him and Sumit and MIL with him.
He says "YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW".
I say "NO WAY, I WILL STAY RIGHT HERE UNTIL THE REST OF MY FAMILY IS HERE" he looks at me stunned and stayed with us until my SIL and her daughter meet us.
Honestly, we had no idea what happened.
My first thought: "Not my kids"
My second thought: "Is a crazy car guy mowing down people"
My third thought: "Is a lone gunman being really really stupid"
My fourth thought: "Not my kids"
We looked around us, 10 feet from us, we see poodles of blood. Cops and paramedics with someone. I look at my daughters watching that and tears re-emerge.
My 6 year old cried and was like "Bad guys are here"
My 11 year old cried and was like "I am never leaving home again"
My 5 year old niece was just quiet and confused and looking around her.
And us, the four adults: Well were numb and the "what if's" started flooding the mind.
I held them close and talked to them all the way on the walk back to the car, we saw littered shoes, bags, glasses, tears and there was this silence in the crowd.
The kids slept with us that night, it took lots of talking, ice cream and honest and tough discussions to get them a "little normal" again.
Of course, I had to FORCE them to step out the next day for a bike ride and then slowly get normalcy back.
My girls and us are doing better now. We are still talking about it. It will always be their "normal" going forward and I DONT WISH it on anyone. I feel we got "lucky" but honestly not what i want to teach our kids. "It happens, just get lucky!" WHAT WORLD DO WE LIVE IN NOW
The girls wrote beautiful Thank You letters for the Chicago Police. Next post.. more to come
With family visiting from India, we decided to go to the Navy Pier to enjoy the fireworks. The 4 adults and 3 kids were plopped right by the water and a lovely picnic. At 9:30 the fireworks began and it was mesmerizing. We generally see this from afar, but watching the reflection on the water, with the songs and fireworks in synchronized fashion has its charm!
We clapped, enjoyed and after fireworks ended, decided to wait for the crowds to disperse. With the young kids and MIL, it would be easier. So we plopped on a bench and were just chatting about the display. My SIL and her daughter decided to go in the pier for a quick rest room pit stop.
Suddenly!
Yes suddenly we saw thousands of people running towards us screaming. We froze in our spots not knowing what was going on. We ducked behind the very bench we were sitting on. May be 30-60 seconds later, everyone just stopped. We stood up and said to our bystander, wonder what that was about! And then we see swarms of cops yelling at the crowds to "Get Down NOW, Take cover. "
And I slam dunked my 11 year old and 6 year old again on the floor. It just got more real. My MIL cannot sit on the ground, I see my husband just giving her cover with the back to the cops.
My girls are starting to scream and I really want them to be quiet, just in case "they" hear them.
One is below my arm and the other is holding my hand. Both are shaking and may be it was me also. I look at them and ask them to look at me. And just tell them "Sing Navakar" our daily chant.
I needed them to focus on as we hear screams around us. And that's what they did. Looking straight into my eyes with tears streaming down their cheeks. They just chanted and are curled up like little babies. I see Sumit and his mom as bend down as physically possible 5 ft. ahead. We lay there. And then 10-15 minutes pass by I think.
We see a cop come to us and tell us "IT IS SAFE, YOU CAN GET UP NOW"
The girls and I are frozen, he repeats and we stood up still unsure. There is a chaotic scene around us, but we stay focused on looking at him and Sumit and MIL with him.
He says "YOU NEED TO LEAVE NOW".
I say "NO WAY, I WILL STAY RIGHT HERE UNTIL THE REST OF MY FAMILY IS HERE" he looks at me stunned and stayed with us until my SIL and her daughter meet us.
Honestly, we had no idea what happened.
My first thought: "Not my kids"
My second thought: "Is a crazy car guy mowing down people"
My third thought: "Is a lone gunman being really really stupid"
My fourth thought: "Not my kids"
We looked around us, 10 feet from us, we see poodles of blood. Cops and paramedics with someone. I look at my daughters watching that and tears re-emerge.
My 6 year old cried and was like "Bad guys are here"
My 11 year old cried and was like "I am never leaving home again"
My 5 year old niece was just quiet and confused and looking around her.
And us, the four adults: Well were numb and the "what if's" started flooding the mind.
I held them close and talked to them all the way on the walk back to the car, we saw littered shoes, bags, glasses, tears and there was this silence in the crowd.
The kids slept with us that night, it took lots of talking, ice cream and honest and tough discussions to get them a "little normal" again.
Of course, I had to FORCE them to step out the next day for a bike ride and then slowly get normalcy back.
My girls and us are doing better now. We are still talking about it. It will always be their "normal" going forward and I DONT WISH it on anyone. I feel we got "lucky" but honestly not what i want to teach our kids. "It happens, just get lucky!" WHAT WORLD DO WE LIVE IN NOW
The girls wrote beautiful Thank You letters for the Chicago Police. Next post.. more to come
2 comments:
Long time lurker. Had to post for this one. Bought tears to my eyes, Garima. Glad to know that you all are safe.
Manju.
How kind of you... we are getting back to normal now. But talk about it often
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