Forget-Me-Nots Along The Way

5 Years Ago Today

I was 8 months pregnant with my son, my first child, and on bedrest.  I was exhausted. I was trying to sleep in.  I kissed my hubby goodbye and rolled dutifully back onto my left slide and closed my eyes.  I was near sleep when my hubby came back in and told me there was an explosion in NY.  Don't get me wrong, explosions are bad things and I would not wish them on anyone.  I just didn't want to be woken for an explosion that I could see on the news later.  I was mildly irritated.  Then he told me it was a plane.  It was the trade center buildings and then we heard about the Pentagon. I was shaken.  That was scary. 

Hubby left for work and I waddled down the hall and positioned myself, again laying on my left side, on the couch and turned on Good Morning America.  The images were horrifying.  Hours and hours of sheer terror and panic.  I cried in empathy for families who would never see each other again.  My heart felt torn open, knowing how it feels to get that phone call, the one that changes your life forever.  I knew how it felt to hear the words and stand in disbelief, to have your body go into an automatic, mechanical mode in order to function day to day.  Being pregnant, my greatest grief was for the women who went into labor then or soon after, for the babies that would never know Daddy and for the children whose Mommy would never tuck them in again at night.

My cousin's husband worked in the Pentagon.  His story of the day and his walk home (no cars were getting out), was amazing, like a thriller or a made for tv movie.

Many people here in northern California were effected because the plan that crashed in Pennsylvania was bound for San Francisco.  Sacramento has a crack USAR team, so men, women and dogs from here went to help.

I don't think there was a corner of America that was left untouched by this event and I was proud how Americans responded.  I was sad it took a disaster to bring us together.  Everyone said "God Bless America" and I looked around and thought "why?" We crowd God out of our lives, why should He continue to bless us. I told my husband that I thought there should be another bumper sticker that said, "Give God a Reason to Bless America!" I just thought it turned into a "thing" to say, that noone knew what they were saying or what that meant. It was just something that "everyone else" was doing. For a time I think people really did turn to God and I think many lives were permanently transformed by His love and grace.  I praise Him for that. But like the Israelites who so quickly forgot about God when they got into the Land of Milk and Honey, as things changed and people healed, often times He was forgotten. And now five years later the resurgence we saw in faith has faded. I have heard a few people say that America responded to the "wake up call" of 9/11 by hitting the snooze button.

I have prayed for the peace of survivors and those left behind.  I have prayed for God's gift of salvation for those who question and ache.  I have prayed for America to "return to the innocence of her youth" to quote from an old Silverwind song in the 1980s. I pray healing for all the responders, the heroes, who gave of themselves and now battle chronic lung disease. And I pray for healing of the mind for all those who saw things that human beings never should have seen. 

Dear Lord, please forgive us for only turning to You when there is nowhere else to go.  Help us to seek Your guidance and direction and to place our security in Your hands.  Please be with all the dear people for whom this day is agonizingly painful.  Thank you that You have been with us all along! I love my country, please extend Your grace and patience, please draw us back to YOU! Amen

bedrest

04:44, Monday, September 11, 2006 .. Posted by deedee06

Great post today, Theresa. I was on bedrest for 6 days before Jonathan was born. It was rough, but I was so full of mag sulfate, I couldn't have stood up if I had wanted! I absolutely loved your post about your friend, Laura's funeral. You mentioned a goal of making your husband feel like a winner and I want to encourage you to do so. Your independent friends may not understand, but they likely won't have as strong a marriage as you will have. I recently read Debi Pearl's book Created to be His Helpmeet and have been applying what I have learned. In 25 years, our relationship has never been stronger or more joyful. I wish I had learned the information earlier, but likely wasn't wise enough to apply it! Bless you very much!..................Denise (prairiemom)