setting-the-stage

The ramblings of a multitasking [singing, dancing, acting] college student.

Posts tagged september 11

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New blog post: "Always Remember"

Ten years later, I stand at a candlelit memorial service in the center of my college campus, joining in a collective remembrance and a call for peace, goodwill, and harmony. I watch the flames flicker across the faces of strangers united by faith and hope in the power of prayer. We reflect on multi-denominational readings under a full moon, gently beaming its tranquil light on an American flag flying at half-mast. As we extinguish the candles, our souls remain illuminated from this shared experience, and we walk away united in understanding. We will always remember September 11…

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Notes

Remember

I vividly remember September 11.

I was walking with my 5th-grade classmates to the library of H.C. Mines Elementary that morning, when one of my classmates cried, “Hey, have you guys seen that plane that crashed into a skyscraper in New York? It’s crazy!”

I stared, incredulous. What idiot would drive a plane into a building? My dad was a pilot, so I found the whole idea incredibly dumb.

“Are you kidding?” I asked.

He wasn’t kidding.

When I came home that afternoon, I stood in my living room, sunlight streaming through the windows. My eyes were glued to the television, which the teachers had forbade us from watching in school. It was truly a terrifying sight. Images of fear and terror constantly scrolled across the screen and embedded themselves in my bewildered mind.

I waited anxiously for my mother to arrive home. “Is Dad okay?” I asked her.

“Yes, his flight was diverted to Philadelphia. But he was supposed to fly into LaGuardia this morning.”

Wow. That could have been my father on one of those planes.

I was grateful that God had spared him; my soul was simultaneously stricken for those who had fallen at the hands of evil men.

Tonight will remain ingrained in my memory with the same intensity of that sunny September day. It is hard to believe that 10 years have passed, taking my childhood faith in the goodness of the world with it. But this night has renewed my hope in the grace of God and the triumph of goodness over evil. Where there is darkness, there will always be a brighter light.

Filed under remember september 11 osama bin laden nyc world trade centers faith goodness light hope