In church this morning I was reminded of today’s historic date. Four years ago on an unremarkable Tuesday morning in September, the world changed forever. I can remember just where I was when disaster struck. It was 5:45 in the morning. For some reason I was awake and eating breakfast before school. My mom came in and turned on the TV saying something about a plane hitting one of the Twin Towers. My family sat there for a few minutes, not really realizing the severity of this event, and discussed whether it must have been some sort of an accident. It was at this point, live on the news, that the second plane flew into the other tower. We watched in horror as the reporters reacted to the events. I watched for over an hour as the media picked up on the story. The first tower fell before I left for school.

It’s amazing to me how many people seem to have forgotten those days. Do you remember flags waving at every home and business? Do you remember smiling at strangers as you walked down the street, just because you were both American? Do you remember flying a flag on the antenna of your car? What about the candle light vigils? If nothing else, do you recall the looks on the faces of those who lost their loved ones that morning? How easily we get caught up in the “issues.” What should be done to retaliate? Have we gone too far? Well let me tell you this: Orphaned children are not an “issue.” Widowed men and women are not an “issue.” Families lost their children, parents, husbands, wives, brothers or sisters. Friends were lost.

So can we take a collective breath, as a country, and remember that this day is not about controversy or war. This day is about a nation coming together to lift up those who are in pain. Not just the September 11th families, though four years is certainly not enough time to close up the wounds from that day. There are those among us now who have nothing. There has been another horrible disaster, just as unforeseeable, and just as deadly. The people in the Deep South are hurting now. So as we, as the 9/11 generation stop to think on the events of four years ago today, let’s gather together once more and reach out to our American family in need. Let’s not look for someone to blame but instead look for ways to help. It’s the least we can do.