12 years ago...
I was walking to my job on
campus. I was behind two girls and overheard them talking about the twin
towers getting hit and collapsing. I couldn't imagine something like
that ever happening and assumed they must be talking about a new movie or TV show. I remember thinking, "What an awful, tragic plot! I won't be seeing THAT movie!"
When I got to work (the computer lab where I taught family history),
there weren't any students there, which was a bit surprising. A few
minutes later my supervisor came in and told me I needed to see what was
happening on TV. I did, and watched in horror as the news program
re-played the towers being hit.
I was in shock. I was numb.
I
went to High School in Maryland and our family had visited the twin
towers on one of our trips to New York. I had friends and friend's
parents in NYC and had no idea how to get a hold of them.
I was scared.
We watched the news and cried, and a little bit later we closed the
computer lab and I went to the BYU devotional. I remember that the
President of BYU (Brigham Young University), President Bateman, gave a speech (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=249)
calling for hope and also for kindness for others. I was surprised by
that, because retaliation against others at our school wasn't something
that would have ever come to my mind.
Afterwards, there was a prayer offered and it brought me a great amount of peace.
The rest of the day is a blur in my memory.
I think classes were cancelled for everyone. I went back to my
apartment and watched the news with my roommates. After work, my friend Keith (now my husband!) picked me and my brother up, and we went to my parent's house.
We had dinner there, watched the news, talked about what was happening,
and prayed as a family. We cried as we mourned for those who had died
or been injured, for their families, for our country, and for the loss
of innocence...
I still reflect on that day with sadness and with
reverence. Images that now come to mind are of the policemen, firemen,
and other responders who displayed such heroic acts for their fellowmen,
with no thought for themselves.
In the years since, I have found
great peace through the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have faith that my
Savior can heal all wounds. I know that families can be together even
after this life. I don't understand all things, but I do know that God
loves His children.
In Malachi, the Savior is compared to a refiner's fire (http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/mal/3?lang=eng#3),
where, like silver, impurities are cleansed through difficult
circumstances. Personally, September 11th was like a refiner's fire for
me. After struggling through the days and months that followed, I now
have a deeper testimony of peace than I did before. I feel closer to my
Heavenly Father and have a greater love for my fellowmen. Ordinary
people went out of their way to help others, and in hearing their
stories of love and sacrifice, I am humbled to see how much good we are
capable of.
My children have no memory of September 11th, but I hope
that I can use my experiences to teach them to help others, look for
the good in the world, and to remember that through God we can find
peace.
