Where Were You?

I'm in my bedroom, getting ready for work it's just after 8am and I'm standing next to my dresser getting clothes out. The television we have in our room is on top of my husband's dresser. As always, he is standing in front of it to catch the day's headlines and top stories. Suddenly, he turns up the volume. "Wow, a plane just hit one of the World Trade Center buildings.", he says. I look up briefly, then go on with what I'm doing. Do I even know much about those buildings? What are they, why are they significant? To me, it was honestly like someone had said, "A plane just hit the 'such-and-such' building downtown." It honestly didn't make me react much other than, "Oh, how awful."

After I get dressed, I walk over next to him to hear someone mention the possibility of a missing plane. What are they saying? A hijacking? Seriously? Wow. We are watching the live broadcast of the burning building, with the plane lodged inside. We hear news broadcasters speculating, trying to report, trying to make sense of what is happening. With a blink of an eye, another plane darts into view on screen and then BOOM!! Something flies across the screen and slams into the other building. Immediately there is an explosion. We are stunned. The news broadcasters are stunned. No one knows what to think or do at first. More speculation, more shock, more reporting without knowing exactly what is happening.

Somehow we managed to finish getting ready. I got my daughter ready, four years old at the time, and dropped her off at school. Driving to the school, the radio alerts that yet another plane has struck a building. This time, it is the Pentagon in Washington. My initial reaction is, "OH MY GOD." My heart starts pounding, my face tingles, my hands are sweating. I'm scared. Somehow I drop Caitlin off at school and go into work. Everyone within 20ft of a TV has one on. We are watching the broadcast reports that another plane is missing and unaccounted for. Perhaps this one is also going to a target? What is the target? The White House? The Capitol Building? Where will it be next? We proceed to spend the entire day watching the news. There will be no air travel. All flights are grounded until further notice. The news stations are talking terrorism. TERRORISM.

It is not long until the fourth plane goes down. Flight 93...crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Reports would come in that would confirm this plane was full of civilians that took fate into their own hands and sacrificed their lives to save others. These brave flight passengers did what they had to do and it resulted in the crashing of that plane. Those passengers would be remembered as heroes. They still are.

After all planes were accounted for and no more air travel was in progress, we then waited and watched as the reports came in from NYC, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. So many dead, so many injured, so many unaccounted for. So many unknowns. People were searching for friends, coworkers, loved ones, or perhaps answers as to what was happening. My daughter was asking questions later that night. Questions I did not have the answers to. I didn't know why we were attacked. I didn't know what significance the World Trade Towers had for our country. I didn't know what would happen next or what America would become. All I knew is I wanted my family close to me and I wanted to keep the news on. I was also angry. I was angry that these people hate us so much that they felt they could attack and destroy us.

Where are we today? I have other children now and we tell them what happened and once a year we go through it again on the news and in our schools. We teach what occurred and how it changed us forever, and why our men and women are fighting this war and why we pray for them daily. We have changed forever, even today. We are suffering in an economy that has been devastated since the attacks. We are suffering in the sending off of more troops and the return of those who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Americans and for people across the globe. We are struggling to emerge from this tragedy. I would like to say that the country is as united and patriotic as we were that horrible day. Neighbor standing with neighbor, forgiving and compassionate. We clung to hope, we clung to faith. I have to say, I don't see that anymore. The bumper stickers, t-shirts and posters say "We will never forget"...but we have. We have forgotten and have slid back into what we were. Only now, we are broke and we have fear and hatred in our hearts. Is that overcoming the tragedy? Or is it succombing to what they hoped attacking us would accomplish? You tell me.

I pray tonight and at every remembrance for the men and women still fighting to keep us safe. I pray for their families. I pray for the leaders of this country, most of whom I do not agree with. I pray for their leadership and that they are directed by and obedient to the God who created this world, these people, and these nations. May He have mercy on us all.