I have been away for a while.  August was a crazy month for our family and September is the start of school for us.  So needless to say I have been busy with family and more recently very busy with getting our Muppin started with school.

As I woke this morning and looked at the date on my phone sadness fell over me.  This day is one filled with so few memories and those that I have are not happy ones.  September 11 was my dad’s birthday and in 2001 I woke that morning feeling great grief over the loss of him earlier that year.  It was his first birthday that he would not be with us to hug on and to love.   We had lost him to cancer and those memories of his last days still deeply haunted me.

On September 11, 2001 the house was quiet, I was alone with my grief and I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself.  Finally I pulled myself up out of the safety of my bed and went to the living room and turned on the television.  Maybe I could cover my thoughts up with mindless TV.  It was early so I crawled onto the sofa and began looking for the news, when I found it, I was forever changed.  The news was showing a picture of the first World Trade Tower with smoke billowing out of it.   At first I was confused.  I remember thinking, “this is a terrible show I want the news.”  I quickly realized that it was not a movie and sadly it was very real.

As I watched the unfolding events in horror, I witnessed the second plane fly into the second tower live.  Alone in my living room I gasped and screamed “NO!” and the tears began to flow.  I could not believe that what I was seeing was really truly happening.  It couldn’t be, this had to be some sick joke like Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast in 1938.  This had to be mass hysteria all over again.  But it wasn’t, this was truly happening, it was sadly real.

So for the next several hours I watched as things unfolded and untold numbers of people died.  The tragedy was heart breaking and nothing was going to make it better.  Nothing would fix this.  Moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends and heroes would die and no one would bring them back.  September 11th was nothing but pain for me due to the memories of my dad who was lost to that horrible thing called cancer and now… sadly… the American people would share in my grief but for a very different horrifying reason.

Today I still cry on this day for my lost time with my dad, but I also cry for all the lives lost and changed by the World Trade Center attacks.  My life was forever changed by the attacks.  My heart is especially saddened for all the children lost and those children who will never get to see their parents again.  No child should have to lose their parents but especially not this way.

Our country has been forever changed by this day and I pray that more people have been changed for the good than bad.  I end in a prayer that the Lord would bless all the survivors, the families and friends of those lost and all the people who worked tirelessly and selflessly during and after the attacks.  I would also pray that those still here today will look at what happened and know that there is one they could turn to for the peace they could never have alone.  Our Lord Jesus.  I pray the Lord blesses you and keeps you all safe, God bless each of you.