Where were you on September 11th?

Where was I on September 11th?

I was in my 8th grade Civics class at Henry David Thoreau Middle School in Vienna, Virginia, just like 20 minutes from the Pentagon.  I will never forget when my Civics teacher, Mrs. Capossela, took a call during class and came back into the classroom crying. We all knew something was very wrong. Then the principal came on over the PA and announced an airplane had crashed into one of the twin towers. At the time I was completely naive and didn't know what the big deal was. After a little bit though, I realized there were people in the buildings trapped and dying.  The rest of the day we went to every class period and just watched the news in silence as we saw rerun after rerun of the towers collapsing.  We were all speechless.  I felt so nervous for all of my friends who had parents working at the Pentagon waiting to hear from them. I felt so sad for all of the families that lost loved ones that day. But I also loved the great sense of unity in our community for the weeks following that day. I am so grateful and proud to be an American.

Today we put out our flag wreath and wore our red, white, and blue.

We went to Aiden's little class at the Rec Center (it's just a 5-week class called Play Along Pals - today was the 3rd time) and noticed the flag at half-mast.

I have to say I was a little disappointed.  Not one other person was dressed patriotically :(  It must be the D.C. girl in me.

I was proud that Trent thought to wear blue.  I've rubbed off on him ;)  I was wearing my red shorts today.

Trent's cousin Courtney (well really Tanis's cousin, but she's my age so we just call her Trent's cousin) posted this last year to her blog and I really enjoyed it.

Have you ever thought, "Where was God on 9/11 when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked?" Well, I know where my God was on the morning of September 11, 2001, and He was very busy!

He was discouraging people from taking those four flights. Together they could accommodate more than 1,000 passengers, yet there were only 266 aboard. He was on those four flights giving the terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the people who was called by a loved one on one of the hijacked planes mentioned that passengers were panicked, nor was there any screaming in the background. And on one of the flights, God gave strength to the passengers to overcome the hijackers.

God was also busy creating obstacles to prevent people who worked in the WTC from getting to work on time. The work day had begun, more than 50,000 people worked in the two towers, yet only 20,000 were at their desks. On that beautiful morning, God created scores of unexpected traffic delays, subway delays, and commuter train delays. A PATH train packed with commuters was stopped at a signal just short of the WTC and was able to return to Jersey City. And far more meetings were scheduled elsewhere than was usual.

God held up each of the two mighty towers for a half hour so that the people on the lower floors could get out. And when He finally let go, He caused the towers to fall inward rather than to topple over, which would have killed so many more people. The foundations of six surrounding buildings were demolished by the fall of the towers, but God held them up for many hours until all the occupants were safely evacuated.

And when the WTC and Pentagon buildings went down, my God picked up almost 3,500 of His children and carried them to their home for all eternity. He also sat down and cried that 19 of His children could have so much hate in their hearts, that they did not choose him, but another god that doesn't exist, and now they are lost forever.

He sent people trained in dealing with earthly disasters to save those that were injured. And he sent in thousands of others to help in any way they were needed. And He brought people together across the world in a way that moved thousands to tears and hundreds of thousands to prayer—and caused millions to turn to the one true living God.

He still isn't finished. Every day He comforts those who lost loved ones. He is encouraging others to reach out to those who don't know Him or believe in Him. He is giving the leaders of our great nation the strength and conviction to do the right thing, to follow His will, not a popular poll.

So if anyone ever asks, "Where was your God on 9/11?" you can say, "He was everywhere! And, in fact, he is everywhere today and every day." Without a doubt, this was the worst catastrophe most of us have ever seen. I can't imagine getting through such a difficult time without God at my side. Without God, life would be hopeless.

I had actually never questioned where God was on September 11th.  I do know, without a doubt, that "he was everywhere."

I will never forget.