I've been trying to get a grip on my feelings about this, the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United 93. I hate to use the word "anniversary" to describe it, but there's really no better word. The attacks shook me to my very core that day.I had just gotten married in the beginning of August, 2001. Two days after we returned from our honeymoon, my husband's grandfather passed away. And less than a month later, 4 airplanes were hi-jacked and plowed into 3 buildings and a hill. That's a lot of drama for 6 weeks time.
I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was numb for the rest of the day, and for several days following. My heart ached for all those people who's loved ones never made it home...from work, their trips, etc.
Especially the children. How do you explain to those poor babies why mommy or daddy died? It wasn't an accident or equipment malfunction.It was pure evil.
So, how do we handle this tragedy, all these years later. I can't imagine that it helps the healing process to have to relive the attacks every year. So, how do we get closure without forgetting what was done on that terrible day? How do we honor those lost without re-opening the survivors' wounds? The best answer I can come up with is to pray. Pray for those souls that were lost. Pray for their families, trying to pick up the pieces. Pray for those who were injured. Pray that we might forgive those awful acts, but NEVER forget them.
1 comment:
Your comments mirrored my own thoughts - I had a lump in my throat all day today. Everybody remembers where they were and how they felt when they watched those planes hit the two towers and then the Pentagon, and finally the crash in Pennsylvania. We were as children who had been brutally violated. In our innocence we watched, dumbfounded, trying to comprehend how this horrible tragedy could be an act of terror commited by people who hate us. They celebrated our losses by cheering in the streets. How do you ever fully recover from the knowledge that there are people who hate Americans so much they would gladly blow themselves up to destroy us. You are right - the only thing we can do is pray, pray always, and never forget.
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