Remembering 911

In March of 2000 I took my first trip to New York City to visit one of my very best childhood friends. She of course took me to all the tourist sites and we had lunch at the Twin Towers and took this photo as we visited the Statue of Liberty. Never once had something so horrific as what happened on 9-11-01 crossed my mind as a possibility much less a reality. A landscape and a city forever changed.

I was on my way to work that morning after dropping off my bigs when the first plane struck the tower. Keith and I had not been married very long and I was pregnant with Dillon. I arrived at work and we were all gathered around the TV watching as the second plane struck and it became apparent this was no accident.

Like the rest of the world we sat in shock and disbelief as those towers tumbled. The TV footage played day and night giving the world a view of the heartache and despair yet hope for days that more survivors would be found. I cannot even begin to imagine what it was really like to have been there or to have had someone I loved on one of those planes or in one of the targeted buildings and can only imagine that today their emotions are still very raw. All I wanted to do for days was hold my family tight.

This past January I visited New York City again and had the honor of visiting Ground Zero and the beautiful memorial. As well as the firehouse down the street and home to many of the first responders who lost their lives.

We stepped inside St. Paul’s Chapel which was so close to the Twin Towers that there really is no explanation as to why it was left undamaged. This church became a refuge in the days and weeks after 9-11 for the first responders and volunteers.

While we cannot understand the kind of hate these terrorist possess to be capable of killing thousands of innocent people, seeing New York City begin to recover shows that America is still full of hope. God is not dead but very much alive allowing those hurting to have the strength to make it another day and faith that justice has been served at a higher level.

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Today be certain to say a prayer for America and those who protect it. Pray that God cover all those hurting with His mercy and bless them with comfort as they continue to mourn family and friends who have lost their lives and those who survived but were impacted by these events in ways not all of us can comprehend.

While the landscape may be forever changed, it is not broken and seeing the new tower shows this city is still alive and full of hope for the future.