25 years later
Today is the twenty fifth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center. I was in the kitchen making breakfast and my husband and kids were sitting around the table and we had a little bitty TV going in the corner with the morning news running. It was strange because that is not something that we ever did. The TV was for the cook and typically it was only on when one of us was working in the kitchen. The news paralyzed us. I sat down and we just stared at the screen as we watched the second plane hit the tower and the collapse of the buildings. The kids kept asking us questions because they were only six and eight years old. They remember that day (even though they were not really sure what was happening) because we were so upset. Jon and I had visited that building on our seventh anniversary and it felt personal even though it was so very far away. When all the planes were grounded, my cousin Amy’s husband Mike was sent to Tulsa and he stayed with us that week until the airports were opened back up. I don’t think that we went to work that day because we didn’t know what to do. So we stayed together to lean into our little family in our fear. Now, those of you who are old enough, are remembering exactly where you were on that day as well. That kind of devastation is not easily dismissed or forgotten. My mother talks about the day that President Kennedy was shot in the same way. Some of you remember that heart breaking day as well.
You may have heard me say in a sermon recently that my friend Rev. Bill Hemm (Pastor at Forest Park Disciples of Christ on 91st/Mingo) was present on that day working in the World Trade Center. He recently recorded a sermon where he shares his survival story. If you would like to hear about that experience first hand, you can click here. I promise that it is inspiring and even funny to hear his account. I was struck at how great he looked and his energy as he gave this sermon. You may not know but he had stage 4 lung cancer that is directly caused by the air that he breathed in twenty five years ago on this day. He will become another victim from the 9-11 attack all these years later if he can’t beat this cancer. He has stepped away from the church and working to focus on survival. I ask you to pray for this family in this fight. In his sermon he addresses the question that we so often want to ask “Where was God on that day?”
I ask you to share your story about that day with this generation that wasn’t alive yet and don’t even know about it. Talk about the way you felt and the unity in our country that bonded us together in our grief. Tell them about how the roads were wide open as the sirens approached from the police and fire departments because we recognized the sacrifice that they make every day, but especially on that particular day. Don’t let them forget that we were attacked on our own soil by those who hate our country and the freedoms that we have had. Freedoms we sometimes forget to be thankful for. I also ask you to look around at the people who make your life bearable and joyful. Give them a call, invite them to share a meal or a visit. Let us remember the things that really matter in our lives as we remember the families impacted on that horrible day by hate. May we be reminded of the strength of faith, hope and love.
Sincerely,
