9/11 Remembered

Fear. That was my main emotion on September 11, 2001, along with all the others including horror, sadness, shock, anger, and disbelief. Surely there would be more attacks I feared. I was just starting my sophomore year in college at Union University. For some reason I had slept late or overslept that morning, I can't remember which now. It was a Tuesday and I think my first class was at 9:30, something in the business building. Usually I was the first one up in the dorm room, but as I said I was still asleep and I could hear a commotion in the den room as I was waking. I remember being upset that my roommates didn't wake me up after the first tower had been hit. But at that time we still didn't know that it was an act of terrorism. Perhaps it was just a terrible accident. But as I went out of my room to watch the TV with them the second plane soon hit. It was then that we knew it was not an accident, but done on purpose with the intent to kill.

I really didn't know what to do at this point. I went to class. We prayed and were quickly dismissed to the chapel. There we had a special service of prayer. Afterwards I spent most of the rest of the day in Jeremy Hollie's room, watching the reports on TV with him, his brother Bryan, and his roommates. At some point I called my parents to make sure they were all right. I don't remember where or if I ate lunch, or dinner for that matter. By the middle of the day I couldn't take it anymore and I just had to turn it off. A lot of people ran out to go fill their gas tanks. It's funny to imagine if we would have had Facebook or Twitter when it happened ten years ago. I don't even remember running to the computer to read about what was happening. Today I would be on my phone, getting second by second updates from those on the scene in New York City about what was happening. It's definitely strange how our news information has changed in such a short period.

We had another chapel service that evening. I think Katie and I went to it together, but strangely, I don't remember much else about being with Katie that day, though I'm sure we were. I talked to my mother some more that night before going to bed. I laid in my bed that night listening to helicopters fly overhead somewhere in the distance. I was just as scared as the moments earlier in the day when everything had happened. I was all alone in bed upset and confused. I couldn't comprehend that innocent people who had started a normal work day had ended up in such a horrific war zone. I couldn't imagine sitting at you desk on second, and an airplane crashing into you the next. I still can't fully comprehend and wrap my mind around what happened even though there is photographic and video evidence. It doesn't seem real, but more like a movie. I still can't comprehend that less than 3,000 people died. I tried to keep up with the news over the next few days, but it was on all the time and it was just too much and I shut it out all together. Looking back I know it wasn't healthy to do things that way and I wish I would have processed more things back then. Today has been a good day to remember those who were lost and all that happened that day.

Today also happened to mark the two year anniversary of Bellevue Arlington, our church home for almost a year and a half now. We had a very nice service commemorating the special day and praising God for all that has been done here the last two years. We have been very blessed to find this church and even more in our Life Group. As far as the Memphis Tigers football team goes and the debacle from last night, I have no words for it. I'm still much to sick to even comment. Last, the Michigan and Notre Dame game last night was just something special. Perhaps the most telling part was when SportsCenter went back to the game almost 20 minutes later and the stadium was still full of one thousand fans. I love college football. Well, most of it. The Tigers don't provide much to love these days.