9/11...

As most of you know, today is the 5 year anniversary of the day when our country was attacked by terrorists using commercial airlines as weapons. The two towers were hit in New York City, the Pentagon was hit in Washington D.C., and another airplane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought back against the terrorists to keep their plane from hitting another target. Thousands of people lost their lives and thousands of others lost loved ones. The effects today continue. All you have to do is watch a news piece on individuals affected by this terrible tragedy.

I can't remember where I was for many things, but I do remember where I was and what I was doing when this took place. I was at my home in Mississippi (actually my parent's home, I still lived with them) and I was eating breakfast and watching the news. I was just about to start my correspondence classes for the day. All of a sudden the news came back from a commercial and was showing the footage of the first tower that was hit. At that point they thought maybe it was just a freak accident. No one knew anything. And then I'll never forget watching live television of the second plane hitting the other tower. And at that point my mind was just inundated with so many thoughts, "This wasn't an accident", "Who is doing this", "I can't believe that just happened". I was shocked as I watched my television. Needless to say, I did not do school that day, I watched the TV and watched as both towers collapsed. And in between to hear that another plane had crashed at the Pentagon and then another in a field in Pennsylvania. I just kept wondering how many more were going to crash.

I remember going to work and listening to the radio that afternoon with an empty weird feeling in my stomach. I was always fearful that I would soon hear that another plane had hit another "target". And I remember hearing how other buildings in New York were collapsing and listening to the death count going higher and higher.

As I watched the news over the next couple of days and weeks, I heard stories from individuals who had lost husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and friends in this horrific attack. It almost seemed a world away as I was in Mississippi, so far from the destruction. Yet at the same time it seemed so very close as I heard friends tell me of their friends who were in New York at the time.

We will always remember this day, a day that changed many things in America; changes that now have turned into ordinary life.

I am thankful that in the midst of just horrific tragedy, I know Who is in control of all things and Who has all things in His hands. And I have a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You don't have answers that work without a relationship with God. And even when you do have a relationship with God, you don't always understand the "why" to everything that happens. But we do know God's character and we do know His Word, and we can have confidence that God is wiser than we are and smarter than we are and is in control of all that is taking place.

Just some thoughts as we remember a tragic day...