18 years ago today, I sat in a conference room at work, as we watched the live news coverage that a plane hit the World Trade Center. Thinking it was some sort of accident, we then witnessed the second plane turn and fly directly into the 2nd tower.
A silence and ache like I've never experienced,
continued as the morning unfolded; as the towers collapsed, watching and
hearing about the other attacks on the Pentagon and then the plane going down
in Pennsylvania.
Numbness & pain overtook our nation. People came
together, cried together, held each other, searched together, prayed together, and truly united as 'one
nation under God.'
First responders didn't think twice about heading
downtown to help in any way possible. Firefighters from all over our country
came to volunteer in the search and rescue efforts at Ground Zero. People of
every background, race, religion, political affiliation, lined up to donate
blood at the triage centers and hospitals throughout NYC.
Weeks, and even months, seemed as if nothing,
absolutely nothing, could ever divide America. My heart cries that we are so
far away from who we are, and who we can truly be as Americans.
In the environment our nation is today, would we
respond to such a tragedy with our hearts and love for our country and the amazing diversity of the people of our country, or will it be used as an opportunity to push agendas and political views over the immediate need to pull together as a united nation?
I pray that deep down inside, our hearts would respond
with a passion and love for our country; a country that has given us the
freedom to have different views, a freedom to voice our opinions openly and freely, a freedom to
truly strive for the best our nation, the United States of America, can be. Let us not lose heart of where we have come
from, who we are, and what we can accomplish as a united nation.
