Remembering...

I remember exactly where I was...

I was behind the wheel of my GMC pickup truck on my way to a youth ministers' meeting in Brookville, PA. It was a clear blue sky day without any clouds in the sky. I remember hearing the news on my radio that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center... Then a short period later, another plane hit the other tower...

I remember sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Brookville with some very close friends watching the towers fall. I remember the panic that we felt when we heard that another plane had crashed 100 miles from where we were sitting. I remember rushing home because they were dismissing school and I felt that I needed to be there. I remember looking at the blue sky and thinking about how odd it was that there wasn't a single airplane in the sky... because they had all been grounded. I remember calling my mom on my cell phone and feeling some relief to talk to her. I remember leaving my TV on for hours because it felt wrong to turn it off. I remember folks flocking to church to hold hands with others and pray. I remember the feeling of helplessness.

I remember my parents talking about where they were and what they were doing when our President, John F. Kennedy was assassinated and I never really understood that. But after 9/11, I remember everything... even small unimportant details about that day.

Today... on September 11th... 9 years later...

I remember.

I remember that these words carried a lot of meaning 9 years ago.

Psalm 91 (New International Version)

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

I remember those those lost their lives that day... those in the towers... those firefighters and police officers who tried to help others out of the building and lost their lives... those who bravely defended our nation on foreign soil.

I remember.

And most importantly... I will never forget.

Jim

Thinking about September 11th...

It's hard to imagine that it's been 8 years since September 11th. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard the news of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center building, as many who are older than me remember where they were when they heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated.

I was driving in my truck (1988 GMC Sierra short bed that I would love to have back) east on Interstate 80 in western Pennsylvania on my way to a meeting with some youth pastor friends about our upcoming Fall Retreat. We were meeting in Punxsutawney (the home of all the groundhog craziness around February 2nd).

The four of us went next door to a hotel where they allowed us to watch the coverage in their lobby.

We stood, sat and prayed in disbelief... for what seemed like an eternity. We watched the towers fall. We listened to the coverage of Flight 93 that crashed just a hundreds miles south of where we sat.

We decided to reschedule our meeting as reports began to trickle into our cell phones of schools letting out early for the day. Realizing that we would have upset students, we headed for home.

There were a couple of things about that day that I will never forget:

• the thought of complete disbelief... it was overwhelming.
• the clearness of the blue sky that day.
• the absence of planes in the sky on the drive home.
• how great it was to talk to family and friends and find out that folks were alright... realizing that many would find out that day that "someone" was not alright...
  
• the shock on the faces of folks back home.
• watching the news coverage for hours as brave rescuers tried to save anyone they could.
• being unable to stop watching the news reports.
  
• watching the coverage of those planes flying into those buildings... those images still give me chills.

But today... looking back, I'm thankful for those brave men and women who rushed into those doomed buildings to help people and lost their lives in the process. I'm thankful for those who worked around the clock for weeks to try to give closure to those who's loved ones lost their lives. I'm thankful for our brave men and women (some from our youth ministry) who have served and are serving in the armed forces, protecting our freedoms. Today I remember them.

But more than anything, I'm thankful for my faith in a God who is righteous and just and will, in the end, set everything right.

Jim

Where were you? What do you remember?