September 11th, I never will forget

September 11th, is one of those days, I can remember quite vividly. I woke up, an eleven year old, in the middle of packing for to the move Idaho. I got up and cleaned up the entire attic that Jordan, Isaac and I stayed in. Excited, I was just about to go downstairs and eagerly tell my dad, when my dad popped his head up through the trap door. He told all three of us, that something very terrible had happened. My dad had this look on his face that I had only seen, when a death had occurred in the family. I knew something was very wrong. Going downstairs, my mom was speechless, simply speechless. I remember watching the second tower tumble down. Like many others, I kept thinking that it was a movie. When was someone going to jump out and explain that it was a terrible joke. Sadly, that never happened, and everyone who watched has memories vividly burned into their memory.

Today, I remembered the date, the feeling, and the shock. However, today I finally felt the utter sadness. Americans are proud of their country, of our flag, and of our people. A travesty like 9-11 should never happen, but as Americans, we assume it would never happen to us. The terror we felt, and how worried we were for the people still in the building. I watched some videos on uTube and for the first time while thinking of the tragic event, I cried. I cried remembering the families who lost fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. Friends, co-workers, and brave fire fighters who helped others out, but couldn’t escape the collapsing tower. Finally, I’d felt the shock before, now I felt the grief.

We say our military is too strong, and our intelligence far too great to allow something like this slip by. The day reminds us all of our fragile existence that we live in every day. It shows me how many things I take for granted. All I know, is that we need to appreciate the little things in life. I know I complain about so many trivial things, yet I fail to remember all the blessings I have. 9-11 is an event, that I never want to see something similar to. However, deep down I feel something like it, WILL happen again. Therefore, while I can, grieve for the dead, and those who suffer and still suffer today, yet be thankful for blessings I have in your life, that I don’t think of until they’re gone.

Under His Mercy,

Joel