September 11... so much to say...

I can't believe it has been nine years.  Nine years ago, our lives changed forever.  We faced our mortality as we had never done before.  We all felt safe in the cocoon of the United States.  The horror we watched that day was surreal but none of us could turn away from the TV. Do you remember where you were or what you were doing that day?  I, myself, remember that day so vividly.  I was sitting at my desk at work, starting my busy day as usual.  My boss's wife called to tell us to turn the TV on and that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.  We turned it on... and it stayed on all day.  We sat in front of it and could not tear ourselves away.  The phones were unusually silent... probably because everyone else was just like us, scared to even breathe.  I remember pointing to the screen, yelling at a co-worker, "There's another plane!"  and then gasping as it hit the second tower.  There was no doubt then that this was not just some accident. Something truly evil had come out from the depths of hell to descend on us.  Smoke, flames and shattered windows were the only things we could see from the comfort of our chairs and couches.  What kind of hell were those people living through? I remember seeing little specks on the screen, not knowing at that point that it was people jumping to their deaths. I look back now and wonder how they could have done that, but then I also wonder just how bad it had to have been inside that building for them to do that.  Then, the towers began to collapse and I remember the sickening feeling of all the people still inside and of all the people on the outside who could not escape the torrent of debris.  Then the reports of other planes being hijacked soon began to come across the news screen.  The plane that crashed into the Pentagon, then the one that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.  We all had that sickening feeling that life as we knew it, would never be quite the same.  The safety net of our Nation, the bubble that we all lived in, had been compromised in the blink of an eye in a way that none of us thought could ever be possible.  We watched our President step to action.  He has been greatly criticized for many things he did during his time as President, but I know he brought me peace with his words during that time.  He called upon the name of God and I felt comfort in that.  There have been many.. way too many lives lost over the last nine years. First, on that fateful morning, and continuing throughout two wars that are still being fought by our brave soldiers today.  All of this because of hatred, anger, and religion.  No, I am not attacking anyone's "religion" by saying this.  But religion is not what we should claim when we live for God.  Religion is a broad term that frankly, is overused.  I don't want to be labeled "religious" because that can mean so many things.  The monsters who stepped on those planes full of innocent people, they claimed to be "religious". No, loving God has nothing to do with religion, it means you are redeemed, forgiven, saved by the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross.  Many ask, 'Where was God on September 11?"  "Why did He let this happen?"  God was with each and every person in those buildings and on those planes, as well as with all of us who called upon Him that day.  He was with every fireman who was bravely climbing those steps as others were going down to escape.  He was with every policeman as they tried to help people get out and to safety.  The will of man is not the will of God.  He cried with us that day because this is not what He wanted for us.  Sin brought this upon us, not God.  Could He have stopped it, oh sure.  But man made the choice for free will when he chose to disobey God in the beginning.  The wages of sin is death.  The only hope we have in this evil world we live in, is to give ourselves to God, through Jesus.  Then there will come a time that we will no longer live in fear of evil and we will never shed another tear.  You can live with hope and have the joy in that hope.. or you can live without hope and be sad, miserable and of this cruel world.  I choose hope.  And on this day of remembrance, I hold on to that hope and to my Faith.  I look back on the horror of this day nine years ago and feel remorse for all who were lost, but I also feel a pride for our Nation as it responded to that horror with love and compassion.  I pray that this day reminds us all of that.