It amazes me how so much time can pass by and when we look back over the years only a few memories stand up as monumental. It also saddens me. Why do we so often fall into the trap of living without really living..? As I flip through the moments of my past they all seem so hazy, so distant and so faded. I try to grasp them but, like fireflies, they escape, leaving only a streak of light to be remembered by. But, as foggy as some memories there are also some that playback as clear as though they happened yesterday.
I don’t remember if it was raining and without a Google search reminder I couldn’t even tell you what day it was, but the things I do recall are, to this day, embedded in my heart and soul. It was September 11, 2001, ten years ago today. I awoke in a haze and turned on the TV. Visions of men leaping to their deaths from multiple stories of the twin towers. The masses below racing to be free of burning debris that crumbled down around them. Children crying, so many dying. Life proving to be a mere vapor, last breaths disappearing into a nightmare. Dense smoke encircling hopeless screams and ending dreams. A horrific sight which sent a ripple through me that cracked all the way to my core. I tasted salt and realized that I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I hadn’t cried in years and, in that moment of vulnerability, I felt weak, insignificant, human.
I wrote this blurb a couple years ago. It is actually a small piece of a story which leads into a deeper testimonial of my life, which is exactly what 9-11-01 did for me. It opened me up to a new life, a life filled with depth and meaning, a life filled with love and joy. A life with purpose. My heart aches for those who lived this nightmare, for those who have lost, during 9-11, or any time, anywhere. But I also know it is all for a greater purpose. So I encourage you, be strong, be hopeful, and choose love.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love
-1 John 4:8
-written Sept 12, 2011
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