Public Domain Photo. U.S. Department of Defense.How do you remember September 11? This is how I remember it---
Dead bodies. Dead and dismembered bodies laid everywhere. As I was walking through the devastation, my soul could not comprehend the horrific cruelty and lose of life I was seeing in front of me. I was shaking with dread asking who could have done this to other human beings? Many of the dead were Mexican, and as one of their race…I thought to myself who would hate Mexicans enough to kill them so merciless? It hit me very hard. All of a sudden, I woke up from this nightmare. But like the biblical visions of old, I felt as if it was a warning of a future time to come.
The day before 911 as I was driving to work, I looked up at the beautiful sunny and peaceful sky. It was so peaceful and still….it was unnerving. For whatever reason, time seemed to have slowed down. I noticed that even the pigeons streaking across the sky were flying in slow motion. How odd? I thought. But, like the millions of Americans, for me the day before 911 was just like any other day.
The next morning Fox 32 was reporting a crash of an airplane into one of the towers. The rest became part of history. Because of 911 my perceptions of life and faith have changed forever. Human cruelty in the name of God convicted my heart beyond understanding. As fate would have it. A month or so later I was invited to attend a seminar at Yale University. 911 was still very fresh in our minds. With a school colleague we ditched Connecticut that night and we took the train into New York.
It was my first time ever being in New York. I had always wanted to visit due to my youthful fascination with superhero lore. So we visited Ground Zero and the post devastation I saw was surreal. I was speechless. As I was standing looking into the big empty hole, how I wish I could have had real superpowers to rescue the people. How I wish I could have stopped the buildings from falling, or stopped the airplanes from crashing. But the only realization I got from paying my respects at Ground Zero was how utterly useless I was to do anything about it. Thank God for my Christian faith. Thank God that in spite of the hate someone may show me, as a Christian I must still demonstrate love and forgiveness.
It really makes me wonder how other people are dealing with the Dreadful Day of 911. How do you remember September 2011? How did it change your life?
Dead bodies. Dead and dismembered bodies laid everywhere. As I was walking through the devastation, my soul could not comprehend the horrific cruelty and lose of life I was seeing in front of me. I was shaking with dread asking who could have done this to other human beings? Many of the dead were Mexican, and as one of their race…I thought to myself who would hate Mexicans enough to kill them so merciless? It hit me very hard. All of a sudden, I woke up from this nightmare. But like the biblical visions of old, I felt as if it was a warning of a future time to come.
The day before 911 as I was driving to work, I looked up at the beautiful sunny and peaceful sky. It was so peaceful and still….it was unnerving. For whatever reason, time seemed to have slowed down. I noticed that even the pigeons streaking across the sky were flying in slow motion. How odd? I thought. But, like the millions of Americans, for me the day before 911 was just like any other day.
The next morning Fox 32 was reporting a crash of an airplane into one of the towers. The rest became part of history. Because of 911 my perceptions of life and faith have changed forever. Human cruelty in the name of God convicted my heart beyond understanding. As fate would have it. A month or so later I was invited to attend a seminar at Yale University. 911 was still very fresh in our minds. With a school colleague we ditched Connecticut that night and we took the train into New York.
It was my first time ever being in New York. I had always wanted to visit due to my youthful fascination with superhero lore. So we visited Ground Zero and the post devastation I saw was surreal. I was speechless. As I was standing looking into the big empty hole, how I wish I could have had real superpowers to rescue the people. How I wish I could have stopped the buildings from falling, or stopped the airplanes from crashing. But the only realization I got from paying my respects at Ground Zero was how utterly useless I was to do anything about it. Thank God for my Christian faith. Thank God that in spite of the hate someone may show me, as a Christian I must still demonstrate love and forgiveness.
It really makes me wonder how other people are dealing with the Dreadful Day of 911. How do you remember September 2011? How did it change your life?
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