Sunday, September 9, 2012

9-11

I know the day is not here yet.  However, today is a day of worship.  Today in churches around the world heads will be bowed in prayer for those who lost everything that day.  Military men and women will be honored as well as firefighters and law enforcement officers of all kinds.

Take a moment our of the day to remember those still fighting the war on terrorism.  Because they do what they do, the rest of us are not afraid!  We can go shopping, send our kids to school and walk into a government building and know all is safe.  We still have our freedom.

The USA is a country others come to, to find safety and security.  It is a country where dreams become reality.  We are strong.

Me?  Not so much.  When those towers fell I was sad for those who died and heart broken for the rescuers.  But I knew something else too.  After the second tower fell I knew that my family would be called upon to do our duty.  My husband would leave to fight a war in another country.  I would be his cheerleader and comfort those left behind.

9-11 was so much more to me than just a single day.  It was years of uncertainty and heart ache.  It was saying good bye to my husband over and over again.  It was the knowledge that the threat isn't gone.  Our government works every day to sniff out new threats and stop new attacks before they happen.  We are safe because many people just like my own husband are out there working to keep us safe.  We were a part of that.

I thought i could do it now that we aren't military anymore.  I thought I could walk into a church on 911 and remember those who gave everything.  But I can't.  Not yet.  I think it is still too fresh.  We are too newly out of that life.  We were all falling apart at the thought of facing yet another ceremony to remember.  I know the other firefighters won't understand our absence but that is ok.  The decision to stay home took a weight off of my family.  Every one of us relaxed.

It was the right thing to do.

What do I ask of you?

 NEVER FORGET!  If we forget, it happens again

DON'T BE AFRAID!  If you are afraid, they won and I won't let that happen!

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!

and last but not least?  PRAY!

6 comments:

  1. I will never forget, I won't be afraid and every day I live life to the fullest because nothing is guaranteed.

    Prayer is a way of life. Gratitude to live in the great country is always on the top of that prayer list.

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  2. (((hugs))) I still cry. Funny thing is I just wrote something for my Anthropology class last night that spoke of it without realizing we were so close to the anniversary. We were discussing Japanese culture, and I remarked that their society was based more on collectivism than individualism as we are here. I said that we saw a touch of it after 9-11, the thought for your family and your community, local and national. It felt good. It felt right.

    Then as with many things, most American grew weary, why should they have to think about it? They were weary, tired of talking about it. That makes me sad. It's not something I can ever forget.

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    1. For us, it just hurts too much. The reality of 911 is never very far away from our thoughts. That one day controlled everything in our lives for years.

      Now we can let go of it but it is hard. We couldn't do it. The church service was more than we could face. Not one person in my family slept Saturday night. We were all in knots. Maybe next year.

      We aren't weary. We are wounded.

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  3. The addition of 9-11-2007 getting on a plane headed for Afghanistan adds to that wound for us too.

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    1. And for the lady on the that plane who was so afraid to fly on 9-11. Your presence gave her comfort. Your uniform stood for the commitment you have to your duty. She understood that you not let anything happen to that plane. She knew you would keep her safe.

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