Big news this morning: our guys in Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden. Will it change much? Who knows, but it feels good. We seem to have taken our eye off the ball in the War on Terror and, after almost 10 years, it’s almost understandable. But we owed this much to the dead and the grieving, and I hope this brings some peace for them. I thank the president (you never thought you would read THAT) and the guys on the ground that made it happen.
Now, here’s a recycled bit on 9/11 memories, from September 2008.
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I spent the morning of 9/11 on the loading dock of the medical supply company where I worked at the time. All regular business had ceased. Trailers packed with that week’s shipments were unloaded and refilled with stretchers, gurneys, IV accessories…anything from our stock that might be of use in an emergency room. By the end of the morning a convoy had blasted off for Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.
In the end, none of it was needed. As we now know, there weren’t thousands and thousands of injured to attend to. You either made it out or you didn’t.
There is so much to recall about that day, and the days after. And a lot of nostalgia about the way things used to be…most of it misplaced. I’m convinced now that the time before seems so idyllic because we simply weren’t paying attention.
I am thankful that, seven years on, it hasn’t happened again. I’m thankful for the people, from the president to the soldiers to the lowest-paid airport security people, who have made that possible.
And I am thankful for the insight, wisdom and comfort God gave me in those following weeks. I came to a lot of conclusions about life…what and where I wanted to be, and with whom. It took time to make all of that happen, and I had to break a lot of eggs. But I made it.
So, this my unbidden advice for 9/11/08: take a moment to say a prayer for the families. Then take the rest of the day to appreciate what you have, and the One who made it possible.
A Lively Exchange 