"Where were you when the world stopped turning?"... Doesn't really seem like eight years, does it? I can only imagine how it must feel for those who lost loved ones on that morning, September 11, 2001.
I, probably like you, vividly remember where I was... what I was doing... when I got the call. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my then 5-year old daughter, working on her phonics. My oldest son (then 10 years old) was occupied with his school work. My then 2-year old son was quietly playing.
We were in the process of building our home, so we were living in a small 2-bedroom rented trailer...yes, a 2-bedroom trailer. All three children slept in one tiny bedroom for about 4 months! We had no cable or satellite tv at the time...we had decided to take a sabbatical from tv while we were building. So when my friend called to ask if I knew what had happened, all I could do was turn on the radio and listen, in shocked awe, at what was going on. Of course, we decided that if we were not going to have tv, then we at least had to connect to the internet so we could keep up with the news.
Today, as my two children (who are still at home) and I watched the memorial services and the recounting of the happenings of that day, I was taken back in time. How vividly we can remember some things, yet others are just a blur. How right that we should vividly remember that day.
As I have lifted up to the Lord the countless ones who lost someone that day, I have also remembered how grateful I am for so many things that I sometimes take for granted...this wonderful nation in which I live, with its many freedoms (for now, anyway), the servicemen and women who put their lives on the line so we can enjoy these freedoms, my husband, my children, the home we have made, our friends, our church, and so much more. I am reminded of how brief our time here on this earth truly is, and of how each of us has been placed here by God for a purpose.
"Lord, help me to appreciate the time you have given me here; help me to redeem the time and to use my days on this earth in a manner that would bring glory to your name. Help me to tell others about you before it's too late. Amen."
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:14
I still remember it. I was working with my kids (on a school subject) and my Dad called. He told me to quickly turn on the news. I was in shock on the phone with him - watching it all. Unreal. And then I was worried because my husband works downtown - and who knew what would happen next. Our city isn't the biggest in the country but big enough. I know they started evacuating some of the really big buildings as a precaution. Tom came home early that day. I was very glad about that.
ReplyDelete