September 11.
9/11.
You wrote it on your school paper this morning, or you dated a check. You glanced at the calendar as you planned your day, and you stopped. And you remembered.
Twelve years ago on this day, where were you? I'm guessing that if you were older that six or seven when it happened, you remember. I was eight, and I remember. Vaguely, but it's there.
I was at home with my older brother doing school and my mom was out running errands. She came in and had heard it on the radio on the drive home. We didn't have a television, so we went down the road to the golf course. We sat at a round table in the club house and watched the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. We watched it over and over and over. Disbelief? Yes. Fear? Yes.
A third plane crashed into the Pentagon. More lives were taken. And America wept. America was stunned. America was afraid.
In one day, nearly 3,000 people were killed within the borders of the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our nation began to pray.
Fast forward twelve years. When you open your computer and go to Google, you will see the black ribbon reminding you of what today is. The YouTube homepage may be featuring tribute videos to 9/11. You might even watch the live coverage of the memorial services at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. Bloggers, just like I am, will be writing about it, video bloggers will talk about it, and everyone you follow on Pinterest will pin an inspirational quote or something about never forgetting, all of your social media sites will be reminding you - today is September the eleventh.
And you needed the reminder. Because we don't think about it every day. We don't dwell on that dark day in our history. Not even a year ago was the shooting in Newtown, less than six months ago was the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Terrorists forced their way into our country and killed our people. And we can't even think about the shooter.
But the people who lost loved ones? The families who are missing one of their members? They haven't forgotten for one day. Every morning they wake up and they remember. They can't forget it. Their losses won't let them.
Those were our losses, too. Not as personal, but our losses just the same.
So today, don't just be another person who shares an inspirational quote, another person who cries a little and says, "Oh, it was so sad!" Another person who scratches the surface of sympathy. Pray for those families who are still hurting. Keep them in your prayers, and not just today. As many days as you remember.
And do something about it. Tell the people in your life what they mean to you. Say it now. Don't wait until you're in an airplane that's about to crash and you have to make a frantic, panicky phone call because you never once said "Mom, I love you." Say it NOW. Don't wait.
"I love you. I don't ever want to live without you in my world. You
changed my life." Say it.
Such a wonderfully-written remembrance, Kelley. I, too, remember a little the day it happened. It was definitely a scary and fearful day, but even then God was WITH us.
ReplyDeleteWe all need the reminder to keep praying for the families affected, and to tell people more often how much we love them. We never knows when we may take out last breath, when someone we love does. Every day should be a day full of serving the Lord, sharing the gospel, and loving others. After all, didn't the Lord create us to glorify Him with every day of our lives?
I have tears in my eyes. I remember it too. I was 11..in 5th grade. We didn't hear it on news that day but read it in the newspaper and talked about it in (German) school all the next day.
ReplyDeleteWe too were scared....my family was scared. WE had many military friends and we didn't know what would happen. Things changed in Heidelberg rather quickly after that. American citizenship was not enough anymore to go on base... huge fences were put around the bases and at least 4 guards on every entrance.
Life can end/change so quickly.
Iris♥