Earlier this week I was working on sorting through the enormous piles of papers in my grandfather’s office. I found the newspaper from September 12, 2001. When I looked at the pictures and the headlines, I was immediately transported back to my mother’s family room, watching the live footage of the second tower collapsing. That image will be forever etched in my mind along with the feeling of utter disbelief and shock I felt while watching it.
At the time I didn’t think about the date or the fact that September 11th was only a few days away. Today as I lifted a stack of papers to file, this newspaper again found its way into my hands. Stunned, I sat and looked at the newspaper on the anniversary of the horrific tragedy it was reporting. This time I was reminded of the days following September 11, 2001.
In the midst of uncertainty and fear, people poured into churches, searching for stability and sanctuary from the chaos. We cried for the families that lost loved ones and prayed for God to give them comfort. Their pain was incomprehensible and it seemed that praying was the least…and the most…we could do for them. We cherished the time we spent with our own families and prayed that God would protect them in them in the days to come. We held on tight to our faith and prayed for our country’s protection against an intimidating and faceless enemy. Neighborhood streets were lined with American flags and “United We Stand” was plastered on windows, t-shirts and bumpers. The walls that divide us were gone. We were bonded together by a common experience.
Nine years later, our country is riddled with division: racial tensions, partisan politics, economic disparity, fighting among church denominations. I pray that now, as we remember the tragedy of September 11th, we will also remember the unity that followed.
