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.
