Ten Years Later

As I woke up this Sunday morning, it was clear to me what today’s date was.  It’s a day that’s been remembered for ten years.  A day that tragedy struck and a people united.  Today is the tenth anniversary of the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

I’ve reflected on how hard it is to believe that all of the events of 9/11 happened ten years ago.  It led me to think about where I was, as I have thought about this on each anniversary.  I was in 11th grade at the time, and changing classes between second and third period when I received some of the secondhand details from an acquaintance in the hallway.  When I walked into my SAT Prep class that morning, the TV was on, and I was staring at a hit twin tower in New York City.  It wasn’t long after that I was watching a second plane fly into the other tower live.  After that, I saw them both fall.  I also watched news of the Pentagon attack and the failed fourth plane in a day that had us all not knowing what would happen next.

Some teachers had televisions on that day and let us watch.  Others went on with the agenda.  Neither decision was made halfheartedly.  I took a test in Geometry and watched President Bush address the nation in English.  It was an school day to remember.

That afternoon, I didn’t get to record the weekly radio segment I had at the time, but I did get to gather with those at the wrestling training session that evening.  Even going into the next day, the mood and procedures were still uncertain.  We spent time grieving, learning, and also continuing on as a nation.  That night at church, I remember my youth minister saying there was no telling what things would be like in six months.  The first Friday night football game at my high school featured a pastor leading us in prayer, reflection, and affirmation.  Anything I did for the first time after 9/11, such as working a shift at my part-time job, felt different.  I wasn’t sure where we would go from here.

Even as I think about these things now, there is an overwhelming certainty that today is about more than me and where I was.  It is good that we remember how we were affected, but for many of us, there is so much more to be looking at today.

On September 11, 2001, families were devastatingly torn apart, and they have been because of the events on that day, for the last ten years.  From passengers to businessmen to responders to soldiers, lives have been lost.  Children have grown up without mothers and fathers.  We, as a nation, have been introduced to a front of terror.  The lines of discrimination over nationalities and religions have also been cut deeper.  Because of the horror caused by these attacks, people’s lives have not been anywhere near whatever normal they were before.

Today, I think about those people, and I pray and hope we will move forward as a country united.  We are people created in the image of God, who loves us.  Let us not forget the tragedy that happened ten years ago which is still being felt today.  Love one another.  Be there for each other.  Pray for the broken.  Give where you’re able.  Do what you can.

May God be with those who are still personally feeling the pain of 9/11.  Like a lady on TV said last night when asked about how hard the tenth anniversary was since she lost her husband in the attacks on what was also their wedding anniversary, every one of them is difficult.  It’s not about the number ten.  It is about lives.  Today, you are in my hearts.