Remembering 9/11...

My family and I lived in NYC from January 1976 - November 1979. We were taken to the World Trade Center by a friend who worked for the NYC Port Authority. Because of his employment, our tour of the tower included some background scenes and information to which I now wish I had paid better attention. But I remember well the moment I walked to the windows of the restaurant on the 107th floor and looked down! My whole body trembled as my mind was moved to ponder a series of "What ifs".

• What if there were no window and wall here?
• What if this window broke and I fell from here?
• What if the elevator breaks and we have to walk all the way down?
• What if I worked here and came here everyday?
• What if something happens while we're up here and we can't get back down?

But the day I was at the top of the World Trade Center, nothing bad happened. I had the joy of looking out over NYC and seeing for miles. I had the exhilaration of coming down so rapidly in the elevator that I lost the awareness of how high I'd been. I had the thrill of experiencing the delight of this man-made wonder which stood in tribute to amazing genius and engineering.

I doubt that during my first visit to the World Trade Center I ever imagined a day when that building would fall in tragedy and horror as the world watched. And on that day eight years ago when those buildings fell, my sense of loss was great!!! I no longer lived there but a son and his wife did so my first call was to him to find out where he was and to make sure he was safe. He answered his phone and assured me that he was safe. He and his wife were on tour with My Brightest Diamond and were not in the city. Next calls were made to friends who lived there. We learned that all our friends were safely accounted for but they were linked to others who were still missing. The church which had been our Brooklyn employer was being used by folks stopped in evacuating traffic beside it on the BQE - Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

So today I remember, with the same emotion that day brought, the impact of the attack of terrorists on American soil. And as I recall the sadness and horror of that day, I lean with strengthening trust on Jesus' words to his disciples:

John 14: 1
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God; trust also in me..."

With gratitude and hope, I continue to serve and trust the God in whom my confidence rests. He has not eliminated evil from our world but He does continue to empower his children with strength to walk through shadowy valleys of death without fear of evil because he is with the sheep of his fold. This truth allows me and all who follow the Good Shepherd to have hearts at peace despite a world in panic.