I was a freshman in high school and was walking to my 3rd block of the day when a friend from church stopped me outside in between buildings to ask if I had heard. Somehow the planes had crashed and towers had fallen before I even found out. The first words out of my mouth were something to the effect of "Oh my gosh! Are we going to go to war??" I had brothers around 18 and 20 and was terrified there might be a new draft!
During my lunch period I used a pay phone at school to call my dad who worked in a bank building in downtown Charlotte at the time. I wanted to be sure no planes were headed to our big banking city.
As I searched for images to include today, I tried to pick up lifting ones. There were oh so many and oh so many sad and heart breaking ones. But I wanted to chose ones that give hope, honor the memory, and look forward.
Those lost are gone, but surely not forgotten! I choose not to remember this day as a day of defeat, but to remember this day as the day we all stood united as one nation under God, tall and defiant against the face of evil!
I will always remember President Bush's speech that night offering hope to our country on a day when hope seemed far.
"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. .... I pray {those who grieve} will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23, "Though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me". This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. Thank you, goodnight, and God bless America."
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