Never Forget

As you all know, ten years ago today, two planes struck the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third hit the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth was destined for Washington, D.C..

Ten years ago today, I was a first-grader at my local elementary school here in Texas, half a country away. I was supposed to be in school that morning. Instead, we were driving through New Mexico to visit friends. It was a bright, clear, cool morning. I was sitting in the backseat, looking out of the window, while my parents were listening to the radio and talking in the front. I don't remember exactly when it happened, but at some point, the people on the radio started talking very quietly, sadly. I don't remember seeing my mom's face, or my dad's, just hearing the voices in the background sounding confused. Frightened. Distraught.

Several days later, I was watching the news with my mom at home while getting ready for school. I asked her why they kept talking about New York and about a place called the Pentagon. I remember her trying to explain to me that something very bad had happened, that some very bad people had crashed airplanes into these buildings and hurt a lot of people. Having just weeks before turned seven years old, the severity of the situation was lost on me, and by the time I'd gotten to school I'd completely forgotten about it.

I didn't understand politics. I didn't understand war, or fear, or extremeism. But I did understand that everyone, those next few weeks, felt a lot closer. At just seven years old, I was able to recognize how the tragedy brought the nation together.

And now, ten years later,here we are. Torn apart by politics, war, religion, sexuality, nationality, race, geography, and money. People in the West are broke and blame people in the North. People in the North accuse people in the South of being racists and bigots. People in the South think people in the East are trying to take away states' rights. Poor people think the rich should be taxed, rich people think that the poor are lazy and leeching from their taxes. The government is either too big or too small, and you can almost divide the nation geographically by the viewpoints in each small section.

Except for today.

September 11th is the one day of the year (besides July 4th) that it doesn't matter if you're black or white, straight or gay, liberal or conservative, north or south, rich or poor, civilian or soldier, religious or not...no matter what your ethnicity, background, history, occupation, or location, you stop to reflect. You stop to pay respects to those who lost their lives, you stop to pray (or wish the best for) their relatives, and you appreciate what you've got. Because 9/11 didn't just affect the rich white folk, or the Northeast, or the Christians. It affected us all, collectively, as a nation.

And as a nation, we banded together. We managed to put our differences aside for the common good, to comfort one another and show our solidarity as the 50 States of the Union. We were one nation, under God, indivisible.

So today, my fellow Americans, when you're praying (or simply well-wishing) today for the nearly 3000 that we lost that day, and their families and friends, and for those of the soldiers who have since sacrificed themselves to settle the score and defend our nation since, don't think only about the tragedy and the loss of life. Think about why we're called the UNITED States. Think about all of the problems we could solve if we remembered who we are and what we're fighting for. Think about how it not only united the States, but us with our allies around the world.

I don't mean to preach at y'all, but I consider the events of this day to be a learning experience, for all of us, as a part of history's teachings as a whole. As stated in Mark 3:25, ". . .if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." We saw it with the Roman Empire, the Civil War, and the Soviet Union. We also saw what strength in solidarity has done - the American Revolution, the Allied troops of World War II, and, more recently, the revolutions in Egypt and Libya.

So let us not forget the lives lost on that day. Let us not forget the sacrifices since.

And let us not forget what strength in numbers did, not only for our nation, but for our friends and family around the world.

God bless.

(9/11/2001 - 9/11/2011)