I Remember, Too....

September 11, 2001

My day started like any other. Up at 7, get dressed, get breakfast, get Troy ready for school. Sweet Troy. My baby boy, who had just started the first grade. I took Troy to school, then returned home to feed Grace and get ready for my Tuesday morning Bible study. I remember exactly what study I was doing....Beth Moore, Jesus, The One and Only. We were only two weeks into the study, and already Tuesday mornings had become the highlight of my week. I loved the fellowship, I loved being in God's word, I loved it all. As I drove off base, I sang songs of praise to God for all that He had done in my life, for all the blessings He had given me and my family. My heart was so full of joy.

Little did I know, that at the exact moment my car left the front gate of base, the first plane was crashing into the World Trade Center tower.

When I arrived at church, I headed right for the nursery to drop off Grace. I walked in and saw several ladies gathered around the radio. I couldn't imagine what they were listening to so intently. I asked, "What's going on?" to which they replied, "Shhhhh!" I put Grace in the walker and went to listen. I only heard bits and pieces...."Plane....crash...trade center....dead." I was stunned and confused. We all decided that it was such a tragic accident. And then I kissed Grace goodbye and headed to class.

It seemed like only minutes later, the secretary of our church came into the classroom to tell us that another plane had hit the second tower, then the Pentagon, then news of the crash in Pennsylvania. Of course it was clear by this time that this was all a huge terrorist plot. We all began to sob. We prayed and cried, then prayed again, then cried again. We didn't study at all that day. Later on I found out that the base had been completely shut down, and only housing residents were being allowed to enter. The school was also dismissing the children. I rushed to pick up Troy, headed home, turned on the TV to pictures of fire and ash, and held on to my precious children for dear life. Blake was working in Georgia, and I felt so alone. I was scared. Very scared.

People say that hindsight is 20/20. Sometimes we can look back on the pages of our life and see so clearly how God worked. How he protected us. How he used the bad to bring about such good. September 11, 2001 was one of those times. A few days later, Troy was asking me questions about life and death, Heaven and Hell. I explained to him how Jesus died on a cross for our sins; how He loves us and wants to live in our hearts; how we can trust in Him and live forever with Him when we die. It was a casual conversation, but Troy was hanging on every word. That night, as I tucked my precious baby into bed, he said, "Mommy, I want Jesus to live in my heart. When I die, like the people in those planes, I want to see Jesus. Can I pray now?"

Yes, good can come from bad. From the ashes of September 11, 2001, my son was given life...Eternal Life in Christ. And that is something I will never forget.