Four years ago... September 11, 2001. What were you doing? What was I doing? What happened that day?
I had just dropped the Darling Munchkin off for school. She was just starting First Grade, and really liked her new teacher, Mrs. Stelman.
I went to the mall to pick up my contact lenses, but the Doctor's office wasn't quite open, yet. So, I went to the food court, got a coffee, and started working on memorizing Romans 8 -- I wrote over and over again (writing things out helps me memorize) verses 18-25:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Over and over again.
My cell phone rang, and my friend Laura asked, "Did you see what's going on? A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!"
yI was surprised, but not alarmed. I thought it was a small plane, perhaps flown by someone who had had a heart attack or something. We hung up fairly quickly, and I gathered my materials and walked over to the optometrist. While they were processing my payment and getting my lenses, we listened to the radio, and I began to feel the fear.
My cell phone rang again: it was the school, "Come pick up your child, there's been a terrorist attack in New York, and we want the kids safe at home." As I walked out of the school with my child, my eyes were filled with tears - oh, God, what was going on? What was happening? I prayed - I prayed and prayed for safety, that it was a nightmare or a horrible joke.
I had a hard time driving home, because of the tears in my eyes. The Darling Munchkin was quietly upset; she didn't really understand what was going on.
I came home and turned on the TV, and as this ran through my mind (mp3 audio file), I saw this:
"God help us," I thought. "God help us all. Who could do such a terrible, terrible thing?"
Well, now we know, and we are hunting those bastards down like the barbaric animals they are. God indeed help us wipe this scourge from the face of the earth.
As the days and months went on, we recovered, we went on, we fought back, we persevered.
We heard stories of the brave men and women of United Flight 93, who forced their plane to crash into a field, rather than the Capitol or the White House. We watched the horror of two planes crashing into the World Trade Center, and a third into the Pentagon, over and over again. We saw the heroic tales of the New York Police and the New York Firefighters, who fought to save so many lives in the World Trade Center. We saw a steadfast man, the mayor of New York, take charge and lead. We saw a President swear to New York:
I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.
And it has.
I teach my daughter courage and patriotism now. I teach her that there are bad people out there in the world, and that it is our duty as free citizens to stand against them and fight for what is right. I teach her that she must respect the men and women in uniform - whether they are police, firefighters, military - and that she must never belittle their service.
I teach her that the President is a good man, but that he is a man nevertheless and needs our prayers for wisdom and strength and courage to do his job.
I teach her that she must give reasons for her opinions, that she must be considerate of others, and that she must never fear to do the right thing.
I'm learning a lot by teaching her these things.
The world will never be the same after that day four years ago, and that can be a good thing: there are fewer terrorists, there are more free countries, there are more people delivered from tyranny.
What will we see in four more years?
Will we see an America which has followed through on her moral duty? Will we see still more people living in open, democratic societies?
Will we see the end of terrorism?
I don't know.
But I pray for perseverance and courage for this country. I pray that we will carefully consider our actions, but then that we will act as circumstances require.
I pray that the Lord God Almighty will rest His hand on America and turn us back to Him in humility and love, so that He may continue to bless the United States of America.
But I have hope, because I know that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us... [and] the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."
I have that hope - and it is the Hope of America.
Videos:
- Must see this one. Long load, but worth it!
- Another good one
- Winds of Change has one with terrorist attacks around the world
Others' memorials:
- Kender
- Raven - here, here, here, here, here
- Euphoric Reality
- Right Wing Nuthouse
- Cao's Blog
- Stop the ACLU and again, here for a beautiful round-up of the Wide Awakes
- GM's Corner
- The Middle Ground
- MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy - with the Presidential Proclamation, and other statements
- Pardon My English
- Isaac Schrodinger has a fantastic post - he ends, "I walked in my dorm room and firmly shut the door. I was a Muslim no more." I'm looking forward to his next entry.
- Ogre
- Parrot Check
- The Mad Tech and here
- Sticks and Stones
- Lori Byrd at Polipundit - with an excellent round up of picture and commentary sites
- InstaPundit points to a post from 9/11, but keep scrolling down for quite a bit more, chronicling that day
- Wizbang! is replaying that horrific day, minute by minute (keep scrolling to more recent posts from this one)
- Right Wing Nuthouse - Rick Moran - posts an essay on some of the myths surrounding 9/11
- Freedom of...
- Michelle Malkin has a stupendous round-up... including a pic of her practicing her marksmanship. She reminds me that that's how the Instapundit is "celebrating" as well. Couldn't be more fitting!
- Sister Toldjah
- Publius Rendezvous
- Castle Argghhh! has it right: " Now, get back to the work at hand." Yes, get back to work: let's hunt down the bad guys, and help the good guys rebuild and restructiore so they can live in peace and freedom.
- Cassandra - haunting, beautiful and grievous plea
- The Mudville Gazette posts the timeline, starting here
- Gay Patriot remembers, and remembers a friend
- Varifrank remembers a nightmare
- Atlas Blogged: "Lady Liberty still holds her torch aloft, still looks to the sunrise,
and still welcomes those who would seek freedom in America.
She is defiant amid the smoke and carnage, which is how all Americans should be." - Harvey, at Bad Example, says "Higher, please." Yes.
- Sigmund, Carl and Alfred have a two parter - well worth the time reading!
- Why Not - Right?
- Kilo - love the image!
- Say What Now?
- Mr. Snitch - and their 9/11 memorial site is up and running!
- American Warmonger
- the Squamata Report
- the Rottweiler Puppy
- Captain's Quarters remembers the Pentagon , asks if this could happen again..
- the Discerning Texan asks: "9/11: Was Bin Laden Right about the lack of will of the American public?" We will see... but I pray bin Laden was wrong...
