Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

When I woke up on September 11, 2001, my biggest concern was that my hair was going to get messed up for picture day. I got dressed in my favorite shirt and had my mom do my hair all fancy. I was so worried that our pictures wouldn’t be taken until after we had DARE, for which we needed to wear our DARE shirts, which meant pulling a shirt over my fancy hairdo.

I don’t remember a whole lot about getting ready, but I do sort of remember that my mom got a phone call. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, and nothing was out of the ordinary until I got to school.

When I got to school, we went through the normal routine. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and the morning announcements were read. Then the administrator got on the loud speaker and said something about remembering to keep the victims from the plane crashes in Washington in our prayers. I remember thinking that it was just some small plane crash in a field in Washington state.

As soon as he got off the loud speaker, my teacher had us sit in a circle on the floor. I chose a spot against the cold, cement wall. She sat us down and first told us that DARE was cancelled. I was very relieved to hear that my hairdo was not going to be ruined. She proceeded told us that two planes had been hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, another plane was flown into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and yet another plane was flown into a field in Pennsylvania. I remember feeling fearful. I remember thinking is a plane going to come and fly into the wall that I am leaning against right now? Being 10 years old, I was old enough to somewhat understand what was going on, but at the same time, this was something far beyond my comprehension.

I remember being told that many other tall, important buildings throughout the country were being evacuated, such as the Sears Tower in Chicago. One of my classmates had an aunt who worked there and I remember him expressing concern about her. I don’t remember a whole lot about school that day, only what happened right when I got there and right when I got home.

When I came home, I remember my mom telling me that the phone call she received earlier in the morning was her mom, informing her of the attacks. She didn’t want to scare us, so she didn’t tell us.

I remember my dad coming home and our family sitting down for dinner and something just seemed a little off. There were no “how was school today” questions being asked. Instead, the TV was on a news station and images of the towers falling were being played over and over again.

I remember when President Bush addressed the nation. Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. I remember hearing those words come out of the President’s mouth. I remember watching it with my family and feeling terribly confused and fearful.

Looking back on that fateful day 10 years ago, I can see evidence of a changed nation. I remember hearing stories about people coming together and supporting one another. I remember hearing about how blood banks had gotten more than enough donations and more people started attending church on Sundays. I remember baseball’s comeback, especially to New York. I remembered heightened security everywhere, whether it was a sporting event or an airport. I remember looking upon firefighters, EMTs, and police officers as heroes.

I am in a unique spot in my life; being 20 years old, the September 11 attacks happened right in the middle of my lifetime. As it stands right now, half of my life was lived in a pre-9/11 culture and the other half (and ongoing half) has been lived in a post-9/11 culture. I don’t remember a whole lot about American society before this tragedy occurred, but I know that it has shaped today’s culture immensely.

We'll make it there sooner or later

Today while I was wasting time between classes, I overheard a conversation between a girl and the woman making her coffee. The two women were asking how each other was doing, and the older woman said, “Everyday is a blessing.” It was a very short interaction but it left me thinking for quite some time. Everyday is a blessing. The woman noted that she has healthy children and a job, and couldn’t ask for anything more. I love that attitude.

In this life, we were created for one purpose and one purpose only. We were created to lead others to Christ using the talents and abilities He’s blessed us with. We weren’t created to acquire as much stuff as humanly possible. We weren’t created to talk behind each other’s backs. We came into this world with nothing, and we can take nothing with us when we leave it. In fact, each day is not guaranteed. That’s probably the biggest thing we take for granted. We automatically assume that when we lay our heads down at night, we will see another sunrise. It’s so easy to get into that mindset, because I have to admit, in the 7,483 days that I’ve been alive, I’ve never gone to sleep thinking that this might be my last night alive. Well, actually I did have that thought once when I was extremely ill, but that’s not exactly the point. It’s hard to break old habits, such as thinking that every morning is guaranteed. After all, when you’ve been doing so for the past 7,000 or so days, I’d say that would be a habit. Everyday is a blessing.

We are so quick to assume that bad things can’t happen to us because we’re very self-centered. Even those of us who generally put others ahead of themselves can’t help but sometimes think about indulging in our own needs. It’s just our human (sin) nature to put ourselves first. Everyday is a blessing. We must remember that we were put on earth for a purpose greater than to impress someone with our knowledge or engage in self-centered activities. We were placed on this earth to further the kingdom of God. That is no small task. Yet if we are firmly rooted in our faith, living out God’s will for our lives becomes sort of a habit. The longer you engage in something, the more routine (or habitual) it becomes. The more you read your Bible, the closer you will get to God. The closer you get to God, the more you will realize His plans for your life. You see, the more you do something, the more familiar it becomes to you. Everyday is a blessing. Let us not forget what our real purpose on this earth is. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, yet we always think that tomorrow seems like a good time to start doing what we’re supposed to be doing now. Everyday is a blessing. If you truly believe that, live like it’s true (I’m speaking this to myself as well! If anyone needs to hear it, trust me, it’s definitely me!).