Tuesday, September 11, 2001. It was a preschool day for Bryson - so we were up and getting ready. I had the habit of turning on the Today show as I got things going for the day. I remember the first thing I saw was footage of the twin towers. One was smoking, a plane had crashed into the tower! At that point, we still thought it may have been a horrible accident.
As I watched in stunned disbelief, I saw another airplane fly into the other tower. Words cannot describe how I felt - how we all felt - about what I was seeing.
As more reports came in, and we heard about the Pentagon, and the flight that crashed into the field in Pennsylvania, the sense of unreality continued.
I remember being unable to move away from the tv. And then the unspeakable horror of watching the towers fall. Seeing the people running from the engulfing dust and debris. Knowing that so many lives had been lost.
The footage was aired for days - weeks - months. The nation turned to God for peace and strength. We remembered what being an American was about. It was about being united, and about calling upon our faith.
Our country responded. And we have so many brave men and women who have committed themselves to defending our freedoms. How grateful I am to those who serve our country in the military.
Years pass. Time blurs the memories. Difficult times dull our sense of patriotism. But the lessons (hopefully) remain.
The lessons that I learned, and the things I want my children to know about that day are these:
- God can comfort us even in the middle of tragedy.
- Being an American is a privilege. We must be grateful for our citizenship and the rights that we have as citizens, but not ever be arrogant. Respect and tolerance must be exercised.
- Terrible things can happen. But if we look, there is almost ALWAYS something good to be learned by going through them.
I remember vividly that morning 10 years ago. I hope I never forget.