Everyone always says they will remember where they were when the towers fell, when the Pentagon was hit, when the 4th plane went down in Shanksville. My question to you is, do you remember? Do you remember what you felt, where you were, who you were with? Will you remember in 10 years? 20 years?
I think to all of the above questions, I can answer yes. I was at school, it was picture day, and we were all lined up outside Sprague Hall. After standing there for about 30 mins (it was about 10:15 at this point), my mother came hurrying out of the building (she worked in the business office). She rushed over to me and a group of my friends and told us, "Two planes flew into the Trade Towers and both towers collapsed." We were all shocked, thinking it might be a joke of some sort, I said, "Yeah right mom, what really happened?" She confirmed that what she had just told us was true.
I don't ever remember being more shocked in my life. After our pictures were taken, all of us ran over to the Student Center where they had the news on the big screen TV. My friend Lisa started crying hysterically. Her uncle worked in the Trade Towers and her mother and father were away on a business trip in Nevada, and now couldn't get home for a minimum of 2-3 days. We did our best to comfort her but none of us had words to say.
Later that day, she got a phone call from her mother. She told Lisa that her uncle had not gone to work that day, it was his day off. We stopped and thanked God for this miracle.
I'm sure many other people in my school had similar stories, if not worse outcomes. However, I only heard of Lisa's.
With all of the evil in our country and all the power the U.S. has, its no wonder we were attacked. We continue to push God out of our lives in a country that was once "Under God." Now we're not even supposed to say "Under God" in the pledge. That makes me fear what could possibly be next.
In all reality, if we tell God to get out of our lives, He will. He has given us free will and as much as He may want to stay in our lives, He will go. Thats why something as destructive and violent as the terrorist acts were allowed to happen.
So I guess my main point today would be to stand up for your faith and your God, no matter the cost. Don't be afraid to say "under God" when you say the pledge in class. Don't be afraid to start a "Meet You At The Pole" meeting early one morning at your school. I guarantee you you won't be alone in your efforts. There's always at least one person who is either too shy to try or waiting for someone to start it for them. Don't be that person. Stand up and proudly declare your faith and your God today.
God Bless America!
-Meg
