Remembering with the rest of you <3

While a whole generation has grown up and graduated from high school, granted with social distancing or virtually or however the school decided to do it, for the rest of us who are old enough we have a memory of this day in our nation’s history. 

Mine started in the kitchen as I was cleaning up breakfast and pouring another cup of coffee. My neighbor friend down the street called and asked if I had the news on. She must not have known me super well. I never have the news on. 

But I went over in our family room and turned it on. I watched as reporters fed us commentary regarding a tall building along the New York City skyline with smoke and flames shooting out it a far ways up from way high in the sky. Even as I grasped something horrible had happened they began excitedly announcing another plane seemed to be coming. A plane?  I tried to comprehend as I sank to my knees that a plane full of humans had become a fatal weapon launched against an unsuspecting building full of people. Not once, but twice. 

I only got up to grab my Bible off the table and I went down again. I didn’t know what else to do but find Scripture to pray because all words were failing me. At some point I called Russ to ask him if I should get the kids from school. He told me to check on them if I could and I did. They wanted to stay and so I went home where I spent the day pretty much in the same posture of kneeling and prayer and tears. 

This morning as I was coming through town to work I saw a motorcycle off to the side on the overpass. Standing in the middle of our north south highway where it spans the Interstate below stood a man in a Veterans jacket holding a flag. It was cold and damp and windy this morning but I guess he needed to just hold the flag to remember what happened. I cried and prayed wordless prayers for his heart and his story. 

I think of our cities burning, some from human hands and some from wild fires. I think of our heated  conversations as we fight amongst ourselves. Our country is far from perfect, as are all countries. But this is my home country and I feel as helpless now as I did nineteen years ago because I don’t know how we are going to mend the hurts and pains. For all the corrupt politicians and greed of corporations and offenses of each of us big and small, the people I love live here along both coasts and in cities, towns and villages in between. 

So I choose to take the posture I took that day and kneel down, grab onto what God says about us, and pray. We are first and foremost His children, but we have been placed in this world in a certain place for a certain time. Let us live well and honor Him in all we do <3