Remembering this day, the tragedies, and never forgetting those that lost their lives…
Make That Moment is about moments we never forget or moments that change our lives forever. It may be hard to find a moment more life changing the 9-11-2001. Both in the worst way imaginable and in the best way possible. I will never forget that morning in a customer’s offices and hearing one of the office workers say, “Oh my, a plane just crashed into a building in New York”. At that moment I didn’t realize just how life changing this moment was going to be to most people.
Driving to Washington, D.C. to my next service call, I heard on the radio that another plane hit the building right next to the first (The Twin Towers). I was now starting to realize how bad this moment was and that this wasn’t an accident. I called my loved ones to make sure that they were okay even though they weren’t even in the same state as the plane crashes (until my phone stopped working). As I approached D.C. on Route 395, I saw the smoke come up from the Pentagon where the third plane crashed into.
There were many who lost loved ones that morning, victims, and heroes alike. We lost people who thought they were just going to work, and heroes who ran into the buildings knowing the danger they were running toward. Twenty-two years later it is still hard to write this without tearing up and my heart racing for all the people who lost loved ones that morning.
The most devastating moment for them all, and all of them feeling it at once. Lord, we thank you for all the heroes who jumped into action that morning including those who fought to stop the fourth plane from doing more damage while sacrificing their lives to stop them. We pray for all those who felt great loss and ask that you grace them with your presence.
It didn’t end with these terrible moments. The days that followed I witnessed another moment that I didn’t comprehend at first glance. The next day, when I went to football practice, I witnessed people who hadn’t talk to each other before talking, hugging, and concerned if they were talking to someone who just experienced great loss. It didn’t stop there, over the next several weeks the great moments continued whether it was a man walking with the American flag draped over his shoulders and people applauding as he walked by, or even watching politicians of all sides come together to stand up for our great country that was wounded. Civilians stepped up and joined the armed services to defend our country. Some gave up great fortune and their life in one big decision.
We never want something like this to happen again, but it was a great moment in time to see people do what many still say we won’t do again. Come together to defend their family, friends, loved ones, and even people they don’t know or even like. All for the cause of doing the right thing and defending our country. Again, thank you to all who stepped up during this moment, the ones who ran to the danger to help pull people out of danger, to ones that showed love for your fellow human being, and to ones who simply gave someone a hug when they needed it. It was a moment that changed me forever.