…is is hard not to.
We all have our stories about that horrible morning on September 11, 25 years ago. We all remember where we were when the first plane hit. We remember sitting in front of our TVs when the second plane hit, and then the Pentagon and hearing about Pennsylvania and Flight 93. Even those who were young children that day, can’t seem to forget it either. It was just so overwhelming and unbelievable.
For any of us anywhere near these tragic moments, I think it hits even harder. I remember it was a late morning for me because my daughter’s school had just started and I hadn’t yet gone into work. I was just getting ready to leave, after watching the second plane hit, when my boss called and said our government building was being evacuated and stay home. We weren’t sure if we too were a target following the attack on the Pentagon. We waited the hours to hear about colleagues working at the Pentagon to know if they were safe. Some were physically safe, but never mentally or emotionally safe again after that. And some were forever lost.
Do you remember what it was like around the Washington DC area? The streets were quiet. The stores closed. We walked in the evening looking up as fighter planes flew over. It seemed like it went on forever. We walked around like zombies in full shock. Churches and other places of worship were full as we all sought some sort of understanding and peace about what had happened. Our family would later join others in prayer vigils near the Pentagon.
As the days unfolded, turning to months and now years, September 11 will always be a painful day. Try not to watch too much of the news. It’s easy for us to be re-traumatized. I remember it was one of the first times we all sat glued to the TV watching over and over and over what happened. There’s no need to do that again today. Those memories are wired into our brain, never to be forgotten.
This is a day to reach out to those you love and remind them how much you love them. It is a day to spend some time in quiet prayer, praying for families and friends impacted by this tragedy. It is a day to set aside politics and remember that this was an attack on all of us. And it is a day to remember that The Divine remains The Divine and we are not alone.
We often say our lives were changed for the better following the attacks. Those first few weeks and months, we seem to have been kinder to one another. We needed to be so gentle because the pain was so overwhelming. As we watched the trauma of digging out in New York, the clearing of the Pentagon, and the resolve of those in Pennsylvania, we all tried to stand a little stronger and a little kinder. If nothing else today, let us remember to be those people again. Say hello to your neighbor, nod your head, knowing that together we feel the pain and let us also feel hope.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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