Tag Archives: 9/11

The only thing constant is change

changeI’ve heard it said that the only thing that’s constant is change. All you have to do is look around you, and you’ll know that’s true. There’s constant construction going on. New buildings are being built, and old buildings are being torn down. Try to drive anywhere of much distance, and you’ll run into road construction. Look at old pictures, and see how much you’ve aged, even if you swear you haven’t changed a bit.

Right now, all around me is change. Not only with me personally, but with many friends and family. There’s an odd feeling of excitement mixed with unrest. As some are finding great things, others are finding a lot of loss.

The only thing constant is change.

On September 11, 2001, this country faced some of its biggest change in its history. Innocence was lost that day. Lives were lost. Hopes were lost. Dreams were lost. All around the country people stared at their TVs in disbelief. We all grieved, and we drew together. Suddenly that person we looked at in fear was someone that we reached out a hand to help. We became more of a unified country than we had been in many, many years.

In the years since that fateful day, more changes occurred. Not only in airports, but on the street. We look at others with a weary eye that we didn’t before. The unrest in the world has gotten worse, and I often feel a touch of fear for the future. Who knows what our next generation will face!

The only thing constant is change.

However it is with faith that I’ve gotten through as much change as I have over the years. It’s with a heart full of hope, and a belief that it will all work out in the end that I continue to be an optimist.

Change can leave you tired. You can leave your bones wary and you wondering just how you’re going to go on. Change can also fill you with excitement. It can find you looking to the future with hope and belief that it’s all just going to get better.

I know the latter is often hard to see these days. Some would probably say September 11, 2001 is the day that that belief and hope became hard to find. An evil in the world showed itself, and it continues to show itself today. The players may have changed some, but its goal remains the same: to leave us fearful, weak, and hopeless.

But it’s on this day, that I remember those lives lost. I remember those who are left behind grieving the loss of so many innocent lives. I think of the innocent lives continuing to be lost today, in this war that never seems to truly end. And I hope that we find a way to come together still and help one another… reach out a hand to someone in need.

Because it’s in helping one another that the greatest change can occur. The only thing constant is change, and in some cases that can be the most comforting fact in the world.

How I’m honoring 9/11: By Living

I would be remiss to not post some thoughts on September 11th. I’ve posted the last several years regarding this day…

I missed 2009 due to my 10-year class reunion landing around the same time.

Here it is 2013, and here is how I plan to spend the day:

I’m going to fly. I’m going to board a plane and fly. When I booked my flight back to Nashville for this trip, I hesitated a moment when I realized my return flight would land on 9/11. Did I really want to fly on this day?

Yes. Yes I did. I would fly on 9/11, and I will take time on that flight to sit and remember. I’ll remember those souls lost that morning in 2001. I will honor their memory, and take a moment to grieve the loss of our innocence that day. I will remember where I was that day. I will muse over how much has changed in the years since… both in our country as well as in my personal life. I will look down on the Earth from my window seat, and I will marvel at being alive. I will marvel at being such a small piece of the larger picture.

I will pray. I will pray for those left behind by those lost that September day. I will pray for safety of all those traveling. I will pray for strength to face my fears but to also accept what life brings to me… the good and the bad. I will pray for wisdom and understanding. I will pray for faith to trust in God. I will pray for our country, our soldiers, our government leaders, and all the world’s leaders. I will pray and have a nice conversation with God while I fly on 9/11.

I will hug my parents extra tight as we say good-bye at the terminal. I will do the same with my husband when we greet each other at another terminal. I will say, “I love you” with an extra conviction to those I love — family and friends. I will strive to love more today, praying for the patience I sometimes lack with others. Today is not the day to get frustrated. Today is the day to strive to understand.

I will never forget 9/11/2001. But I think the best way I can honor that day is by simply living… living the best way I can.

 

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