Do You Ever Get Concerned?

Remembering is part of life.
There’s the good remembering.
And then there is the painful remembering.
The kind of remembering that produces tears, grief and often a thought in the back of your mind, “What else is going to happen?”  
I know that September 11th is the day that changed our country forever.
It caused us to realize that this land of the free and home of the 
brave is not quite as safe as we would like to believe.
Who could have imagined that the hate-filled acts of a dozen 
Islam*c extremists would result in 
the loss of life to thousands in the United States
 and the death of over 5,000 deployed?
Just like those of us who were alive when JFK was shot, 
we remember where we were that day.  
And like everyone else we remember where we were when we heard 
about the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001.
Dw and I were actually at a pastor’s conference in Virginia Beach.  Jack Hayford was the guest speaker and he had just got up to the front to speak.  We rarely sit in the front during a conference, but somehow that day we had ended up on the very front row.
Within a few minutes of the start of the conference a man came 
down to the front and whispered in Jack’s ear.  
Being just feet from Jack Hayford we heard him turn to 
the man and say, “Go confirm that.”
Dw and I looked at each other.  We knew something dreadful was wrong.  
You could feel it in the air.  The expression on Jack Hayford’s face made 
our stomach’s turn.   Dw leaned over to me and whispered, 
“I think this is a JFK moment.”  
The gentleman took what seemed like forever to reappear 
and bend down to again whisper in Jack’s ear.
Jack turned to the group of pastors gathered and began, 
“It appears that the United States of America is under attack by 
terrorists.  There are confirmed attacks on the World Trade Towers 
in New York City.  The Pentagon has also been attacked and 
there are planes missing.  We, as leaders, need to do battle for 
our nation and we need to lead those we pastor and our communities…..
Please pray with me….” 
And hundreds of pastors began praying passionately.  
We were only a few hours from Washington, DC.  
Our kids were at home with my mom who was babysitting them.
We could not get home fast enough, 
but given the word that “some planes are missing” we thought it best 
to take back roads.
We passed numerous military bases as we drove…
lined with young men and women dedicated to protecting 
our country, all being called to report for duty with an 
immediate high alert urgency.   
The lines snaked out on the main roads.  
Dw and I cried and prayed as we drove.
No, we will never forget.

And I will not kid you. Today, 13 years later,
 is a very sobering day to my soul.
We spent half of our homeschooling day talking about 9-11
and watching a documentary of what happened that 
horrific day in our nation’s history.  
So tell me, please.

Do you ever get concerned about a future 
terror attack? 

Have you prepared in any way? 

Where were you when you heard that
America was under attack?

Please talk to me.

22 thoughts on “Do You Ever Get Concerned?

  1. Sweet friend, I sure am concerned. I live in Canada but I remember exactly where I was when 9/11 happened and with all of the current events I am praying all the time and have a very heavy heart for the state of the world…..

    1. I don't think I realized you lived in Canada lizzielou. Every now and then we call our Elizabeth "lizzielou" endearinlgy even though "Lou" is not part of of her heart. My mom was born in Canada and almost all the relatives on my mom's side lived {deceased now} or currently live in Canada. From BC to above Toronto – scattered everywhere! And yes, such a heavy heart for our world. Such yuk everywhere. Thank you for praying with me for our world.

  2. Hi Linny, it is so hard to believe it has been 13 years. My sons were 9, 7, and 2. My daughter was not yet born. My 7 year old is now a United States Marine, fighting for our freedom. I believe it was 9/11 which made him choose to be a marine. The acts of 9/11 did take many lives on that day….but it also took how many more lives? The lives of the military. So many innocent lives lost. 9/11/2001, I was a rewinding a video tape for my 2 year old. It was Bob the Builder. While it was rewinding, I happened to have a channel on (I don't normally even watch TV) and saw these planes hit the twin towers. I thought it was some kind of movie. I then went to the mall to head to the Disney store. I found the mall with stores closing…I did not understand and asked what was going on. A salesperson told me about the twin towers. I got in my car and listened to the radio. What devastation. I never saw too much of the coverage as I did not want to risk my children seeing the coverage. Hearing President Bush talk about it and make comments such as "we will get even." made my heart sad and put fear in me….I knew our world would never be the same again….and it really isn't. Just today, I saw the new gold coin which does not have 'in God we trust' on it. People have fallen so far away from what this country was first based on…it is a tragedy. Our country has changed so much since 9/11. I just keep praying that it will get better. I pray for world peace and have to believe He will see us through. Without God's love, how do we go on?

    1. I had no idea that the gold coin is now out?? Really?? Oh me. So politically correct now to marginalize Christians and exalt sin – even among those who profess Christ! Our forefathers would not believe today's world. They would vomit!

  3. We had just moved to MO, 7ish hours away from everyone we knew, 3 weeks prior. I was home with my 4 yo son. I immediately took him and went to my husband's job site and told him what happened. I don't worry about if we will be hit as much as I could. I guess I assume it will happen. I think we take our freedom for granted and doubt highly that we will always be free. That said, when I do think about it, I worry for my kids and it hurts my heart. I just have to stop and remember that I serve a God who breathes stars out of His mouth and no matter what the worst case scenario is, He is a good God and eternity in His Presence will erase anything I could experience on earth. Seriously, that's the only thing that gives me comfort.

    1. I'm right there with you my friend. It's the only thing that gives comfort – eternity!! And to have just moved when all that took place? Unsettling – to say the least sweet friend!

  4. You're right, we all remember where we were that day. I was actually watching the news at the time and a report came in about the first crash. The initial thought was that it was an accident; I watched as the second plane hit the tower, I have never been so shocked. A short time later the towers fell. It is the only time I have ever seen a news crew cry and scream while on air.
    A friend whose family lives in New York called me, hysterical. She couldn't reach her family, no calls were going through. I tried to console her, but we were all so scared. I cried while I fed my 5 kids lunch that day, I was pregnant also and I wondered how I could bring a baby into such an uncertain world. I prayed and prayed. It was a relief when the news reported that it was an isolated attack and not a full-fledged war on American soil, but then coverage of the rescue efforts and the casualties began. I have never been so heartbroken and so proud at the same time.
    When my kids and I talk about the attack I try hard to emphasize how hard everyone worked, how we all stuck together, how many everyday people proved to be heroes. One thing we have done as a family is to talk about ways to contact each other and where to meet in an emergency. Phone service is not always guaranteed, everyone should have other ways to stay touch, a place or person to leave messages with or a place to meet.

    1. We have also talked about how to contact each other. Having kids who literally live around the world makes that difficult to plan. I continue to pray. God's plan is for us to live with peace in our hearts…but some days that is oh-so-difficult apart from constant intercession!

  5. My husband and I were just beginning our day (Wyoming time) when a friend called and told us to either turn on the radio ro the television. Our friend along with my husband and I are all veterans as well as emergency medical technicians and incident commanders. As my husband and I listened and watch our minds went into prelpan mode.
    Because of my husband's and my training as well as where we work, we now have preplans that also include our young sons' safety and security as well as the ability to continue daily peritoneal dialysis treatments for our eldest son.
    What struck me on September 11, 2001, besides the sadness that my parents had often talked about in regards to Pearl Harbor was the silence in the skies – the lack of aircraft noise after all the planes were grounded. The next morning while I was working with my livestock at the barn, I spent an hour listiening and pondering the silence – that lack of aircraft noise – a silence I had never befroe in my life heard and a silence I never want to hear again.

    1. Thank you to both you and your husband for serving our country. The medical concerns are top in my mind as Ruby is on seizure meds…and by the way, your farm sounds like a "take-me-away-dream" to me!! I am a farmer-wanna-be-girl. Growing up I would dream of how I could move to my cousins farm forever.

    2. Yes the air silence was freaky! I don't want that to happen again either. We have a good friend who is a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Glad he was ok. Not sure if Rod flew that day. But it took some time to get everything back to normal, if ever we can call life normal. It was good to hear the planes flying again since we seem to be in the flight path of planes and helicopters.

  6. We do get concerned, and we have thought about how to be prepared, stocking up on food, having fuel for our gas grill, water, etc. And we pray, constantly pray about our country and its need to turn back to the one true God. We pray about our hearts being right and loving only Him. We pray for all of the lost souls we see daily so needing Jesus in their lives.

    1. We have minimally prepared with stocking some food. But you know how it is with a large family! Our best preparations would be so little when it comes to caring for our pile. We pray with you!

  7. Do I get concerned? It crosses my mind. But God tells me not to worry about tomorrow, so I try and obey that. Have I prepared? It's on my "to do" list but the funds always seem to need to go somewhere else. Someday soon hopefully. We were home when we heard about it. It all seemed very unreal and hard to believe.

  8. I was just waking up to news and then the second tower was hit. Oh my! When my son woke, who was a teen at the time, he didn't think it was real. It looked so much like Independence Day movie, it wasn't funny. I prayed on Wed. evening that God would protect our country and our military. With the 11 missing planes from Libya who knew what ways gonna happen? I don't think those planes had enough fuel to get here anyway…thank goodness for God's protection. Our country will never be the same. I was on edge yesterday, on and off….relieved we were ok. There's not alot we can do to be prepared for another attack, except to be ready to go home when life on this earth is over. Where are our hearts? Share Jesus! Thanks, Linny!

  9. I was asleep in the West Coast when my brother called me from London – he could not understand how I could still be asleep when the nation was under attack! I remember watching the news in horror, calling my fiancĂ© to ask him to watch the news and trying to get ready to go to work. The school was totally unprepared for such a scenario – the only advise the teachers got was to discuss the attack in an age appropriate way. It was so surreal trying to create some normalcy for the students not knowing what was going on and if there had been further attacks. I remember anxiously waiting for President Bush's speech for some reassurance – thank God at the time there was someone with a spine at the helm.

    1. Oh my friend! I have thought of the way President Bush handled it – with confidence and decision. He wasn't golfing and fist-bumping his cronies. It has been sickening to watch this presidency mockery of the American people. So glad I am not alone in thinking this! xo

  10. I remember exactly where I was. The weather, the feelings, the emotions, my moms "oh my God, oh my God" as the second plane hit the tower. I was 11. Almost 12 and I knew then, that very moment that my life would be forever changed. Now, I am a military wife and not a day goes by that I am not nervous about another attack; but like Gigi says "God says not to worry about tomorrow!" He was there before 9/11, He was there on 9/11 and He is there in the future…that will not ever change! Praise God!

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