A Terrible Morning

I opened the door to leave my house this morning and realized that there was a flag on my front lawn. We have paid the Boy Scouts to have a flag in our yard for holidays - it took a minute for me to realize that this is the 8th anniversary of 9/11.

I can hardly believe that eight years have passed since that terrible morning. I can remember waking up to the radio and having the announcer say that an airplane had hit one of the twin towers in New York. The initial report was a little fuzzy and the announcer thought that perhaps an airplane had flown off course and hit the building. They were talking about all of the people in the building and I was only half listening to the report. I turned on the TV and watched the coverage. I got ready for work and then drove to Evan's and Sutherland - when I walked in the front door the receptionist said that the news was on in the conference room. I walked into the conference room right at the moment that the second plane crashed into the building. I stood there looking at that terrible image and realized that this was no accident. The reports kept coming in about other airplanes crashing into the pentagon and one plane that was in the process of being hijacked. WHAT?! This wasn't even feasible; who would do something so horrific?

When they shut down all of the airports and stopped all of the flights around the country and the world I was suddenly overwhelmed with fear. Pam was in Argentina serving her mission and I didn't know how I would get to her if I needed to. This was the first time since she left that I felt totally out of control. I was overwhelmed by the immensity of this situation and all I wanted to do was to gather all of my family together and make sure that everyone was safe. How could something like this happen in America? How could someone hate us so much? How could I ever feel safe again?

Gratefully Pam was able to call home that evening and reassure us that she was okay. She told us about the people in Argentina rallying to the defense of the United States and giving their condolences to Pam and her companion. We later saw many other countries around the world sharing their shock, disbelief, and then compassion to us and those who had lost loved ones. This was truly a time when we were able to see the best of human nature along with the worst. The rallying cry of patriotism filled the air for weeks and months after this tragedy and many people became heroes as they stood up and made a difference. The flag meant even more than it had before and citizenship in this country became an honor. As Charles Dicken's stated, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Eight years have passed and our memories have dimmed; life goes on and new problems flood our minds and keep us from remembering. I was grateful for that flag on my front lawn today. I was grateful for the reminders in the news and for others who have posted their remembrances.

We live in a world that is dangerous, we live in a time that brings uncertainty and sometimes fear. We also live among some of the best people who have ever lived on this planet and it is time for us to stand up and be counted - we need to remember how we felt on that terrible day and keep close to our hearts the pride we felt in this country as we rallied and stood together against evil and tyranny.