This is MY memory of 9/11 as I experienced it. It is in no way meant to belittle what someone else experienced, nor to neglect those who were cruelly killed or who gave their lives trying to rescue the injured. My heart goes out to any who experienced any kind of loss, and I salute the men and women who died on that horrible day and pray God has given peace to those families who have lost loved ones.
But this blog entry is only of my own remembrance and is not written as a tribute:
Granted, I am writing this a couple hours late for the date, and that I am doing nothing original by posting my memories of 9/11, I was reminded tonight of where I was, what I was doing when it happened.
I was teaching, English, as a matter of fact, to my 10th graders. I remember it was the 10th graders, because I remember one girl, Candace, who was in my class and her reaction when the principal came in to tell us what had just happened. She was worried that the world was coming to an end.
I was just in shock.
But God gave me the sense of mind to remember one of my favorite verses, a verse that has comforted me so many many many times. (If you haven't guessed, this was a private Christian school where thankfully prayer and scripture were welcomed.)
Mark 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. (Just as a side note, this statement is in the Bible in four different places
She thanked me for reading this, as it helped to calm her down, just as it always had me. Oh, she was still upset, still flaberghasted and horrified by what was suddenly happening, but she was not in a blind panic, remembering that God was still in control.
And I was still in just...shock. And then I hear that they're shutting down all the state capitals, and I get worried...what if there are more attacks??? My husband was out of town, across the country working on some electrical system or other in one of the state capital buildings. So, I prayed for his safety. I don't remember if I called him (probably) or he called me first, but he got in touch with me and let me know that he was coming on home, but that they would have to drive, as all airports had been shut down, and they had JUST got their rental vehicle before they shut down all of those as welll. Thank you, God!
And later I found out that he had been in the same airport as the one the flight had left from, only the day before. It just didn't seem real.
So, I spent most of the day going down into the teacher's lounge where I could snatch tidbits from the news, and relaying that to my students, my cell phone allowed to be out on my desk, turned on, as we all waited to hear any news from loved ones. No work was going to be done that day, anyway.
But it was on the drive home where God gave me the comfort I needed. Driving on the same road I always took to get home, I past a small little tree, on my left, and in it, sat a small little songbird. And amidst the chaos in my mind, the news on the radio (there was NO music anywhere to be heard), and the stream of traffic, I saw that ltitle bird, sitting happily in his tree, unaware of all that had gone on around him, and it hit me. The world had not ended, was still going on as it always had, because God was still in control. He was still God, Lord over this world and everything in it, even in the midst of our terrible tragedy. And we were in His hands. And though the day was still dark and horrible, though I still did pack up my clothes to go and sleep at my inalwas that night, God let me have that bit of comfort, and I have NEVER forgotten that little bird and the bit of peace and hope God gave to me through him.
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