The memory is all to fresh...
Eleven years ago today, just after 9 a.m., I was sitting in my sixth grade band class. One of the directors came in and said that he had an announcement: The United States was under attack. For some, it meant very little; for others, whose family members, friends, or loved ones were working in the Towers, panic set in. Everything stopped: lessons were cancelled, teachers went silent, and TVs were turned to horrific sites of toppling buildings. As a naive 11 year old I couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt The United States of America.
Now, a 22 year old and still admittedly naive, I struggled with the fact that today in England... nothing stopped. Everyone around me went about their day and the significance of the event that still brings tears to my eyes was never mentioned.
Thousands of miles away, I was having a difficult time determining how to honor those who lost their lives and those who continue to risk their lives to defend our great country. So, I did the only thing I could effectively do...pray.
With my tiny American flag folded in my hands I found a sense of calm. With each prayer raised the uneasiness I had been feeling throughout the day slowly vanished.
My hope is that those affected by this tragedy are able to somehow find similar comfort.
I pray for peace around the world in the hopes that in the future there are far fewer days that need to be remembered for their tragedy. Above all, today my prayers go out to those who lost their lives in the Towers, to those who lost their lives trying to save another, comfort for those who lost someone they love on September 11, 2001, to those who continue to fight to protect us and for the families that have made sacrifices in the name of freedom.
May God Bless America...Land of the Free, Protected and Home to the Brave.
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