9/11/01

Many people stop to remember what this day brought them six years ago. So many pictures, songs, videos, and stories that bring back the horrific feelings and dreadful thoughts. People say they’ll never forget where they were that day or what they were doing. They say that the heartache will never leave them and the tragic pictures will always be in their minds. For me, I can’t remember a lot because I didn’t understand. Nothing made sense—I was too young to know or even grasp what everything meant. Such a horrific thing and my little being had no idea. The lives that were lost, the hurt that was felt, the tears that were cried and the lessons that were learned. As the years passed and all was remembered—the pictures were the same and the hurt of a country still remained. The grief and sorrow was bigger than I understood and heavier than I could feel. Now, even six years later—I finally realize and I finally understand. For the first time, my heart breaks for innocent people, broken families, and a surviving country. As the nation thinks back to remember the hurt and loss that day—I stand in astonishment as if I’d never heard it before. So many lives, so much destruction, but still the many heroes will remain. They’re life-savors; hope-givers. They’re filled with courage, love, and faith. Faith in achieving. Faith in each other. Faith in a nation in all that it lost in just a few hours. Even though it took me years to comprehend—I’m thankful that I can now think and reflect on the stories, the pictures, and the heartache our nation felt so deeply. Above all let us not forget what the suffering brings. The hope our saviors have given to us. The beauty in hearing tragic losses and devastation with a voice of hope and a joyful spirit. Even in the dreadful reality of it all—a nation reaches out to each other with love…in a final understanding that love is why we’re here. Reaching out to each other through all the hatred and tragedy, to remind one another of a pure love and a great hope. One that, as clearly as a man’s hand reaches for another, our God reaches down to us as we remember devastation of this September day. He turns all the ash into beauty. He brings the dead to life. And He gives healing to the hurting. As our God has blessed us over and over again, even through all the pain—I pray, not for God to bless America; but may America bless God always—especially today.