REFLECTIONS ON 9-11

Driving over the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan late in the evening on September 10th, 2001, I pointed out the majestic twin towers of the World Trade Center to the group of English visitors who were in the van with me.

We were heading into Lower Manhattan to feed the homeless, scattered around the area sleeping on park benches and in cardboard boxes, but having got their first glimpse of arguably the most significant New York landmark, they were all the more enthusiastic about riding the elevator to the top of it when they returned to the city the following morning for a sight-seeing tour.

Of course that never happened.

Having returned from our homeless venture at around 3.00am, I slept late on Tuesday September 11th and still hadn't showered when I opened my emails just after 9.00. I read a prayer request from someone in our church who wrote about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and thought it was a tragedy involving a light aircraft and the tallest building in the city.

The true horror hit me as I went to a news website and then turned on the TV.

I often see bumper stickers and messages on the back windows of cars and trucks that declare - We will never forget. For those of us who lived through that day, whether watching our television screens or experiencing the trauma firsthand, that sentiment states the obvious. Of course we will never forget.

We will never forget -

An outrageous attack on our own soil.
The devastation we witnessed as events unfolded before our very eyes.
The feeling of helplessness.
The fear of where a plane might be crashed next.
The images of those fleeing the enveloping cloud as the towers fell.
The heroism of those who ran into danger while everyone else was running away.
The hopelessness of the hundreds of images of lost loved ones displayed around the city.
The spirit that united our nation in defiance of those who want to destroy our way of life.
The American flag flying proudly outside every home.
Cars displaying the stars and stripes.
Prayer vigils all across the nation.
Amazing stories of bravery and selflessness that began to emerge as the dust settled.
The indominatable spirit of the American people.

In many ways our darkest hour was also our finest hour. We witnessed the best in human nature when threatened by the worst.

The Manhattan skyline was changed for ever that day and so was the nation.

We will remember.