9/11

I haven't been in the states since 9/11 first took place, so I haven't really had the reminders leading up to the day. Now that I'm in the states, I'm seeing news, blogs, and special stories that bring it all to mind, and it has given me time to reflect.

I can remember the day so clearly. We were in Malaysia, and we were packing to get ready to fly back to Thailand the next morning. We had gone out to eat (we had some great Indian food in a local open market) and then split up. T went back to the hotel, and I went out with the kiddos, when T called me up to tell me what he was seeing on CNN. He told of an airliner that hit one of the towers, then he went silent for a moment. He began to describe what he was seeing: another jetliner came into view and it was headed straight for another tower. It hit, and it felt as though time just stood still. We were incredulous. With the first tower, we were theorizing that maybe something went terribly wrong with a flight. But when the second plane came into view, it was clear. This was a terrorist act. I immediately went back to the hotel, and we sat by the TV all night. Those images, sights and sounds, even half a world away, were heart wrenching. It became clear that there was pure evil in the world. We've always known it was there, but this was on national television and the world saw it as well. And for awhile, most of the world grieved with us.

Many don't know this, but the twin towers in Kuala Lampur were also threatened. For that reason, we also didn't fly for the next few days. We stayed at the hotel, and watched closely to all that unfolded before our eyes. All of the planes. The last phone calls from loved ones, saying their good-byes. The walls of pictures of missing loves ones, all in the hopes of finding them alive somewhere. We clung to the stories of rescues, of loved ones reunited against all odds.

I don't want to forget the feelings of that day. We need to make sure that those that come after us don't forget the faces and actions of evil. It's out there, and it is up to good people to stand up and do something about it.