10 Years Ago . . .

On 9/11/2001, I remember . . . 

• Turning on the TV because my husband called.
• Watching in bewilderment, along with the TV commentators, as the 2^nd plane hit the 2^nd tower. 
• Praying, praying, praying.
• My neighbor and best friend bursting through my backdoor, asking if I knew.
• Weeping for the families of those whose loved ones came home to them--and the families of those who didn’t.  
• Trying to figure out how to explain what happened to my 10, 8, and 6 year old kids.
• Being grateful my husband wasn’t traveling that day. 
• Hugging my children hard when they came home from school.
• Wondering how it would change our world. 

Later in the week, I attended a prayer service at our church. I remember sitting in the pew, praying, singing “It Is Well With My Soul”, and, strangely enough, wondering if that feeling of agony and fear, of the uncertainty of the future, was the same as those who sat in pews and prayed after Pearl Harbor. In that moment, I felt a kinship with the past, with those who lived through other horrific events and survived. 

I thought about all that this weekend, with the rubble cleared away and new construction moving forward on the ground that absorbed such tragedy. Again, I prayed. Again I listened to stories of tragedy. But I also heard other stories, new stories of hope and redemption. Stories pieced together through years of wondering and searching or lived out in the midst of great pain. And in those I remembered again that this world has a Creator and a Savior. One that brings beauty from ashes. 

Oh, Lord, may we see Your hand in everything, bringing light into dark places, bringing life out of death, bringing hope in the midst of pain and suffering. Be near to our hearts, O God. Be near.




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I'm guest posting on Cara Putman's blog today--and she's doing a giveaway! You'll also find my book on a variety of blogs this week on my CFBA blog tour. See you around cyberspace!