On the eve of September 11th

I had a conversation with a friend this afternoon about all of the news coverage of the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. He thought that we should be more like the English and as he put it “keep a stiff upper lip” and just ignore the date treating it like any other day. He felt that making an event of the day would bring pleasure to those that attacked us and show that they had accomplished their objective of disrupting our lives.

I disagree feeling that we need to remember September 11th for a number of reasons. First and foremost I feel that we should honor those that lost their lives that day from the innocent workers trapped in the twin towers when they fell to the brave emergency personal that went into those buildings trying to save those that they could. The brave men and women of the armed services working in the Pentagon who died as the jet slammed into the building creating an inferno of metal and jet fuel that consumed all in its path. Many of them braved tremendous heat and smoke to save fallen comrades some sacrificing their own lives to save others. And finally the brave men and women of Flight 93 that fought the first battle in the war on terror for their country forcing the terrorists to plow the jet liner into an empty field in Shanksville Pennsylvania instead of its intended target saving untold numbers of lives in Washington DC. All of these should be remembered along with loved ones that they left behind who should be comforted by our thoughts, prayers and expressions of love and appreciation.

Much like December 7th 1941 we must never let September 11th pass as “just another day” in our lives. For if we do we will forget the sacrifice made by those on both dates. In the end we will repeat the mistakes and learn the hard lessons all over again. We shouldn't dwell on our losses but rather continue on with our lives while honoring our past.

Another question posed to me today concerned why these things had happened to the many good and decent people who suffered and died that awful day. The inevitable question was asked as to how God could let this happen. While I explained that the events of September 11th were not of God's doings I found words that express it much better than I could ever do. For the answer to the question “Why Suffering and Death?” I suggest that you follow the link to another to the entry at the “Ask the Pastor” blog. It is good and though provoking reading. In the meantime let us pray that our leaders stay one step ahead of the terrorists and do what needs to be done to keep our country and fellow citizens safe.