September 11th: 7 Years Later

The calendar says it's September 11th. Wow, has it really been 7 years since America witnessed the destruction of the Twin Towers, the loss of many lives, the changes to many more lives, and the attack on America???!!!

If you ask anyone what they were doing on this day 7 years ago, I would say 99.9% of people would remember. I know it was my last semester in Undergrad and I was in Animal Behaviors class. When class was over, we all were in the lobby of the building and the school staff was pushing TVs out into the area for everyone to watch what was going on. I honestly thought, "Oh, something happened in New York." This is because I was on my way to work and did not want to be late. Little did I know what was really going on. I mean, an attack on America through the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Wow.

So now that it's this many years later, what is truly different? Well, we remain "at war" for some reason. I don't think that I'll be able to explain the meaning of this war to my future children. Men and women are fighting to defend America in Iraq and other places. We have to truly commend out military! So many lives have been lost!! Yes, we must commend them, but also pray for them: the mothers who are losing children, the military personnel who are away from families, the families who miss their loved ones.

There are so many spectrums to consider!! There's so much to think about and so many unanswered questions. For instance, "When will the war end?", "Why are we fighting?", "When will Mommy/Daddy/Brother/Sister/Etc. come home?". I don't think the answers will come as quickly as we'd like.

I think of those who have a birthday today; those who wanted today to be a holiday. I feel that the 2 somewhat coincide. Because if today was a holiday, it may get to the point where we see it as another "day off". For those who have a birthday today, it somewhat gets swallowed up by the memory of what happened. Do we really think about this date other than when it gets here? I pray so, because it's a constant reminder of the whole experience. Not that it should overwhelm us and take control, but the impact of what happened should be with us forever.

As we reflect on this Day of Rememberance, don't forget to pray. Pray for all those, who today, changed their lives forever (this should be all of us!). Ask God to continue to provided strength to families, the stressed military, our leaders, and more.

Life is precious, enjoy the time you have. If September 11th taught us anything, this should be one of the lessons. As we live on, consider what you're doing with the time God has blessed you with! Don't let the lost lives and those fighting be in vain!

September 11th, a day to remember and to never forget!