Praying

10 years ago today I was in my sophomore year of high school at Portsmouth Christan Academy. I was in art class, the only room in our school where you could not hear the intercom.... An announcement was made for everyone to leave their class rooms and go to the multipurpose room... where we had chapel and other school wide events. Of course in our art class we had not heard the announcement or the reason behind it. We kept going with class blind to the fact that the world had just fallen down around us, until someone came in and explained there was a "plane crash" and everyone was heading to the multipurpose room to pray. I knew it must have been a big deal if they were calling off classes for a plane crash... I still had no idea.

We gathered around and one of our teachers or maybe even our Principal got up and explained what the "plane crash" really was. It gives me chills even to type it. We all know what happened on 9/11. A terrible act against America, an even worse act against our people and so many innocent people lost their lives. As I stood with my friends holding their hands and praying for our country and for the people involved a classmate kept saying "my Dad is flying today. my Dad is flying today." Those around her said "Don't worry! He's fine, it's in God's hands... just pray!" I prayed even harder because now it was hitting home, now it was hurting people right next to me.... God's will was done, we will never understand why... but her Dad was a pilot of a plane, and it crashed into the tower.... I didn't know her too well, we had of course had classes together and had spoken often being in such a small school... Sadly I no longer keep in touch with her, but her words haunt my mind often "My Dad is flying today."

This morning as I sang praises in church and looked around at all the people gathered I became so thankful. I am so thankful to my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles for passing the word of God on to me. I am so thankful I know my Lord and have so much faith in Him. His will is never known, and because I no longer talk with this classmate I have no idea what God's will was that day, I do know however that His will is good, and some how some good came out of it. Even if it just made people stronger.... I am so blessed to have gone to a school where we stopped and we PRAYED on 9/11 and now to a church where we stopped and we PRAYED on 9/11, and I live in a country where even though people try to bring it down... amazing men and women are fighting right now so I can stop and PRAY not just on 9/11 but on 9/12 and 9/13... and every day after that. I will always remember where I was that day and I will always remember the chills going down my spine in that room... but I will also always be thankful that I can stop and pray.