Memories of 9/11

Since the tragic events on September 11, 2001, my heart has been full of anguish and sympathy for the victims and their families. I pray for the comforting hand of the Lord and for his angels to wrap their wings about those who mourn the loss of their loved ones. But in my prayers, I ask God to do His great will and discipline upon those who would steal the breath of those innocent lives.

When each of those souls arose on the morning of September 11, they assumed they would live out that day as any other day. They went to school, they went to work, they went shopping and they thought they would be coming home. They had plans to stop by the store. They had plans to stop by the church. They had plans to pick up their children at day care. They had plans to go to dinner, watch a movie and play with their children. Each soul that was taken had no time to update their wills. Their pets waited for their masters to come home so they could greet them happily at the door. Most did not have a chance to call home to England, Asia or France. Didn't they all think they had time? Didn't they deserve the chance to live out their lives, free of terror?

As the days have passed, I tried to imagine what may have gone through some of the minds of the passengers and crews of those fated flights. A pilot taxis off the runway. He's concentrating on his job and doing it well. The plane lifts off the ground and the landing gear disappears into the belly of the craft. The pilot can relax a bit now and he's already made contact with the destination tower. He remembers it's Tuesday and it's the night he and his wife go out to dinner at their favorite restaurant. It's date night. And even though they go almost every week, it's always special because they love each other so much. He's thinking to himself, "I think I'll order that prime rib tonight. I should pick up a little gift for her. Shouldn't be gone so much." But then, a man with a foreign accent bursts into the cabin. He's already got some blood on his hands. The screams begin and this pilot's dreams are over.