Patriot Day

This Saturday is Patriot Day....a National day of Remembrance for those killed on September 11th, 2001 as well as for those who have fought in the War against Terror ever since.

President Bush signed the bill into law asking for all flags to fly at half staff, and for everyone to observe a moment of silence at 8:46 A.M.

I remember that morning I was working for Heald, canvassing high school campuses and making contacts with faculty.  I was on my way to Freedom High School when I first heard the news.  At the time we only knew that there had been a terrible plane crash into one of the Twin Towers in NY.

The librarian I was meeting with had turned on the television and we both gasped in horror as we watched the second tower get hit and the towers eventually crumbled. 

It was as if time stood still and none of us really knew what to do or say next.

Scheduling a presentation at that moment seemed disrespectful to say the least.

I drove back to Heald in a fog....trying to process the magnitude of the current events, and wondering how anyone could be productive for the rest of the day.

Is that how you felt?  Did the explosions rock your world?

It was strange to be 'at work' and to watch the events unfold.

Now as I contemplate how to pass this information on to my children...I wonder.

What events will rock their world?  When will they reach a place that lacks security?

Jarrod and I had only been married for a year when America was attacked.  We had just purchased our first home.

In the next month, we had evidence that our solace was with each other.

We conceived Ian-Jacob during this turbulent time of not knowing WHAT the world was coming to....travel had stopped or was limited, somber stories of survivors were everywhere, everyone felt unsafe.

But in that time of uncertainty.....there was a baby boom.  I saw it with my own eyes.

At Heald, five families in our department alone ended up expecting kids, and our due dates were within weeks of each other.

I find such beauty in that fact.

That when we're scared we reach for each other. 

That God has not left us without companionship and hope.

Because without hope, how could we bring more people into an already crowded world that seems to be going mad?

Our God knows our hearts and what we need most.  What greater hope is there than in a child's eyes?

We were scared but never alone.

And that is what I hope to convey to our kids this weekend.  That once upon a time a very scary thing happened.  Yes, there is hate in this world because humans make very wrong choices.

We must strive toward our commonalities, not emphasize our differences.

And love, to always love, because Love covers over a multitude of sins.

And we'll celebrate the solidarity of our Freedom. 

The freedom that has come as such a great price, and that should NEVER be take for granted.

How will you remember?