Traveling to work on the morning of September 12th clearly demonstrated for me, that life post-September 11 (9-11), will never be the same! I was headed into work on the Metro and it was eerily silent with very few passengers on board. Once I exited the train station, I saw huge military tanks on the streets of Washington, DC, and military personnel with large weapons and ammunition. Less than 24 hours before, I traveled to work on the same train on Tuesday, September 11 and it was business as usual. However, that day, after the horrific events of 9-11, everyone was unsure if it was safe to take the train ride home because of all of the rumors about a possible attack on the Metro system, the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the Pentagon. My office was only a few blocks away from the White House.
After much prayer and consideration, I decided to take the train home. This train ride was very different. Our country had been attacked. It was so scary but unbelievably peaceful! The train was crowded, shoulder to shoulder. However, everyone made the necessary adjustments to allow as many people as possible to enter. You did not hear any talking or anything during this ride. You only heard passengers saying, “Help us, Lord;” “Lord, have mercy;” or those saying a brief prayer in an unknown language.
I think we all remember the date and where we were that morning. I think we should share our stories and honor those we lost. The resilience, courage, strength, compassion, and determination demonstrated by our first responders and others are to be commended. Let us honor their memory always on this date. Yet, I can’t help but compare this attack by terrorists to how we are responding to this current attack on Americans by the COVID-19. Immediately, after 9-11, I witnessed a spirit of unity, strength, and resolve that it was us against them. Now, in this current attack, it appears because we can’t see the enemy, we have not been unified in our response, and therefore, have lost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Our prayers are with those families that marked this solemn date in our history with the remembrance of a lost loved one. We lost 2,977 lives in New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA and so much about how we live changed after that date. I am especially patriotically proud and thankful for those passengers on United Airlines Flight 93. Their courage exemplified what it means to be a unified America! They decided and took action! Our scriptures tell us in Psalm 147:3, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds, and in II Corinthians 4:8-12, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed.
May our country continue to heal and may we all come together in that same spirit of unity, strength, and resolve to fight this current attack.
Always look for the Remarkable in your life!
Dr. ReShone
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