Each generation has that milestone moment. The one people point to and say, “I remember where I was when…” During our lifetime, we’ve witnessed the assassinations of Political Leaders, Civil Rights Icons, and Artistic Genuises.
Today marks the anniversary of our generation’s watershed moment. Like the others, September 11, 2001, started out like any other day. People going about their lives, trying to make ends meet. Or like me, at the time, unemployed, surfing the Internet, looking for a job, my only company, a 25-inch tv, playing The Today Show, in the corner of my bedroom.
Innocent people hopped on planes that morning, traveling to their next destination, not knowing it would be their last. Heroes went on duty, not knowing what awaited them as they walked their beat or prepared their emergency gear for the unexpected events of the day.
I recall hearing Matt Lauer state that a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower in New York City. I watched the replay and thought how unreal it looked, worse than a low-budget Hollywood movie.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, a second plane crashed into the South Tower. Other crashes would follow, from The Pentagon to a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Mighty buildings collapsed, fires burned, heroes lost their lives, and America was never the same. A shift in our national axis.
Children pulled from schools. Church pews filled. Prayers lifted as worship leaders tried to make sense of the tragedy. Families and neighbors circled the proverbial wagons. People across the country checked in with loved ones, along with old friends they hadn’t talked to in months.
If December 7, 1941, became a date which will live in infamy, then September 11, 2001, became a date of atrocity, opprobrium, and villainy. It also became a date that defined the American Resolve.
Men and women refused to cower in the corner. As a society, we stood up, dusted ourselves off, and fixed an eye toward our new future. Courageous men and women locked arms and raised hands, shouting, “We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated!” (2 Cor 4:7)
Let’s take time today to remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives that day. People no different than you or me. They began their day, like any other, only to receive a call to greatness.
Thank you, Brave One’s, for your sacrifice. You’re gone but never forgotten. May you rest in peace, good and faithful servants. May the Joy of The Lord surround you for all eternity. Because of you, we are a better nation. May God Bless You and The United States of America.