I think all of us can remember back to where we were on September 11th of 2001. Josh was on his way to work and the children and I were getting things together for our school day. At the time, Samuel was just a baby and as it would be, we had no TV. There was a time in our life when we were modern Luddites and shunned many of the technical devices that make life a little more fun. I know it seemed odd since my husband is on technology's cutting edge in order to earn a living but we've never been ones to live by the norm so we had the radio on listening to the reports regarding the attacks. Once we realized the extent of the attacks, Josh turned around and picked us up so we could go to where there was a television and visually see what was happening.
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| USS New York leaving harbor. |
It wasn't that long ago that we had experienced the Oklahoma City bombings and being we were in Tulsa, it brought back memories of the shock of such a hideous act being wrought on innocent people. While the bombing in Oklahoma was severe, no one could have ever expected what was unfolding before our eyes. When the first tower fell, I think the hearts of every American came down with it. We have been blessed to have so long been protected from violence on our shores that the realization of the events took a moment to set-in.
That day changed our country forever. No longer did we just 'hop a plane' somewhere. No longer were we innocent. As parents, we knew that day that we were going to be handing our children a much difference world than was handed to us. There was much controversy over what we should do, what has been done and how to handle it in the future. I wish there was a right answer and that it would be that simple but as we have seen over the last ten years, right can be a matter of opinion sometimes. What we do know is there has not been an attack since so there is victory in that alone.
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| USS New York |
Over the 9/11 10th Anniversary weekend we found ourselves in the strange position of having to show identification to get to our home. I never dreamed that in America, papers would be required. I understand we need to stay vigilant and being as we are close to the World Trade Center Memorial, they needed to be protective which is good, but, somehow as you begin to pull out your two forms of identification you begin to feel your heart sink a little and the realization that they won in some small way. Our way of life has changed. Maybe it is that we are just no longer as naive as we used to be or maybe it is that we are loosing the freedom so many have laid down their lives for, little by little. No matter how you feel, what is evident is our world is different.
As our church is only two blocks from the World Trade Center Memorial, we had to cancel because of the strict security in the area. For this important day, we stayed at home, tucked in our warm and cozy apartment reflecting on our own. There was sense of pride as we sat in bedroom and watched the USS New York slowly begin to pull away from the harbor and circle the Statue of Liberty. Taking the steel from the Trade Centers and making it into a vessel that fights for the Freedoms that America has always stood for was a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives. Nothing can possible serve as an adequate remembrance of those souls or those who worked so hard to save many other lives but there is something special about the USS New York, it seems to somehow encompass everything you feel inside but cannot explain. Not often do you cry when you look at a warship.
By the time night fell, the barricades were down, water traffic was back to normal and our lives began to resume their daily rhythm. It was over, the ten years had been marked. Now we forge on to the future yet again. As the Freedom Tower begins to take shape, it has finally reached the top of the skyline so you can see its mark on the The City. No longer will there be empty space as a reminder of that day but there will be a symbol of our stronger future. As Americans we once again pushed past adversity to search for that brighter tomorrow.
May God Bless and Keep You in His Grace,
Lynne
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