Silent Skies On September 11, 2001, New Mexicans like the rest of America watched the attacks on our homeland in dismay and disbelief. The shock reverberated through the stunned hearts and minds of Americans like nothing anyone could remember. Employees at the Presbyterian Administrative Center near Albuquerque’s International Sunport saw plane after plane landing in rapid succession as air traffic controllers cleared the skies. No one was exactly sure of what should or could be done. Communication went electronically through the organizational Intranet system and the nine thousand caregivers across the system prepared in case Presbyterian emergency rooms were needed. Thankfully, they were not, but New Mexico and America would never be the same. For Presbyterian, one small yet meaningful difference was the singing of the national anthem at every Presbyterian gathering going forward and a moment of silence for fallen Americans and those in arms. The rhythm of the organization included annual meetings of board members, leaders, and regular employee gatherings. At the annual Ghost Ranch retreat, Spring Leadership retreat, the “Laughter Is the Best Medicine” Foundation fundraiser, and then at the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast when Presbyterian assumed sponsorship of this signature community gathering in 2006, the national anthem became a honored way to begin.
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