September 11, 2001 is a day that will forever be branded in every American heart, it was a sad horrific day in our country. It was early morning, some people were already at their desks hard at work, while others made their way through their daily routines never expecting what was about to happen. When the first of the Trade Center Towers were hit, I kept thinking, is this a freak accident or what? But, in my heart I knew what it was, but, I never expected it to get even worse, and as I sat fixated to my television, and watched in horror as another plane flew into view and smashed into the second tower, I could no longer deny that my country was under attack by evil itself. How do you prepare for such atrocity, but, the Towers were only the beginning, the pentagon would be next, and when I learned of a fourth plane unaccounted for, I looked at the sky and wondered how many more rogue planes were flying over American skies and how many more innocent lives would be sacrificed before this horrible day was over. As I watched those massive towers fall to the ground like two flimsy houses of cards, all I could do was cry out to God in heaven, knowing no wishing it or praying it away would erase this awful day, it was real, it was happening. Those planes drove through the hearts of every American, every single one of us felt the atrocious hatred, bigotry and evil piloting those planes, and we shall never forget the day that we were stripped of our innocence and forced to realize we live in a world where there are some who have no regard for human life. But even faced with such horrific atrocity, I knew America would not lay down and whimper for long, we would rise above the mountains of debris, the shattered shells of buildings and the gigantic waves of smoke; we were wounded but far from defeated. And because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I knew there would be blessings to be found in this monumental act of hatred, and I was right on both counts.
My Country My American heritage goes back to the 1600's, I have had ancestors fight in nearly every major American war, beginning with the Revolution and ending until now with Viet Nam. But it's not my heritage or what my country stands for that makes me so proud to be an American, what prides me the most is that we are a family, we have one heart and it is never more apparent then in times like these, you cannot take the US out of the USA. I grew up in a volital world full of terrorism, I have seen many examples of American's coming together in a time of crisis, but the past few weeks has been a blinding example of the American spirit unlike anything I'd ever seen. 9-11-01 America was on her knees weeping in despair, by the next day, she was slowly shaking off the endless dust and debris and rising once again. There are so many stories of heroism and love coming from such tragedy, beginning with the brave souls who fought the hijackers on flight 93 and won, to the firemen and policemen who rushed into the the towers and lost their lives; there are the firemen and rescuers who have worked diligently to find not only their fallen comrades but the countless thousands who are missing. I think of the strength of the families who may never see their loved ones again, some won't even have anything to bury, and I wonder how they face each new day in such different world. You hear of heroic tales such as the two men who carried a handicapped woman down 68 flights of stairs to safety. There are thousands of tales that epitomize the blinding beauty of the American spirit, and while America was on her knees, she did something incredibly beautiful, America turned to God and prayed diligently as one nation under God. And as those cowards drove those planes into our buildings, God drove himself back into the American heart.
The World After I was able to digest the horrible tragedy, I braced myself for the world to cheer, and I wasn't completely wrong, I watched in disgust as Palestinian's cheered such vorocious barbarism, and when Sadam Hussein said we deserved it, I wanted to punch him in the nose, nobody deserves what happened here, but yet again, I was about to recieve a tremendous blessing, one I am hard pressed to put into words. The world did not cheer our fate, they felt it, they mourned with us, and the world wrapped America in a global loving hug. I cannot describe what I felt as I watched them play the National Anthem at Buckingham Palace, and when they sang it in St. Paul's tears flowed down my cheeks without restraint, the ringing of bells worldwide in countries spanning the globe was a healing balm to these gaping wounds of America, all over the world people paid tribute to us remembering us in prayer, many waved American flags and observed a moment of silence in memory of the missing and the dead with such sincerity I was moved beyond anything I'd ever felt before. One woman in France said it best, "Today, we are all American's." To those countries who rallied around the USA with love and support, I thank you from the depths of my soul, although we are seperated by ocean's and belief's we can feel your love and most epecially your prayers, and for that I am forever grateful. May God bless you and yours.
Healing We have begun the healing process, but our journey will be long and arduous, the city of New York is facing perilous times, there are thousands missing or unaccounted for, it will take at least a year to clean out the site and even then, chances are not everyone will be found; financially the city is in a precarious position, tourism is way down, the hotel's are empty, Broadway shows are closing, the list goes on. But American's are a resilient lot, and New Yorker's determined, we shall overcome, we shall rebuild and we shall prevail. We are wounded, we are mourning and we are greiving, and admist the destruction and sadness, we brace for war, a war we did not ask for or want but it is a task we shall willingly do to insure that no other country or peoples will have to face the hatred and evil of September 11, 2001. It is time for the entire world to stand up and unite and put terrorists on notice, we are not going to take it anymore. It is time to bring an end to the madness, this is our world, our home and those who decimate and destroy this wonderful world should be held accountable, we can no longer look the other way and pretend that evil does not exist, the events of 9-11 proved to the world that evil is alive and thriving.
In the name of God? Men like Bin Laden perpetrate such acts on humanity and like the cowards they are and they hide behind the name of God. I am so sick of hearing of the barbaric cowards call America evil doers, to them I say, excuse me?!!! To me, evil is plotting out the death's of innocent lives including children. These evil cowards carry out these unspeakable acts in the name of Islam, and to that I say give me a break!!! You do not glorify Islam by these atrocities, even Islamic countries have condemned these acts. How the hearts of Islam must break as their brother's and sister's carry out such horrific acts in the name of Allah. When these acts take place it desecrates the name of Allah and that must wound the heart and soul of every peaceful Muslim worldwide. There is only one God, He is a God of love and mercy not one of destruction and hate. The God these fanatics worship is none other than the devil himself. It was not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that put this heinous deed in the hearts of man, it was the master of deceit, pride, bigotry and hate that is behind it all. Yes indeed on the morning of 9-11 satan was doing a happy dance and feeling victorious as death and destruction came to America but God is a slick character and He turned this tragedy into His own good. The events of that fateful day was satan showing what he could do, and what followed was God showing what He could do. For ages the ACLU was trying to rid our country of God and in just one day, God reclaimed America. The American people have dropped down to their knees in supplication and prayer to God, we have been filled with the spirit of unity and determination. I never dreamed I would see the day when the members of my government would convene in a government building and sing God Bless America with heartfelt emotion and fervor, and yet it happened, nor would I have imagined every government official coming together in the house of God to worship and praise and yet it happened, and I never dreamed I would witness a President invoking the name of God loudly and proudly and yet that happened too. America and perhaps the world learned a valuable lesson and it is this, without God we are nothing we would be every bit as lost as those men who hijacked those planes. Perhaps there is a spiritual Jihad taking place but men like Bin Laden will never prevail because they are fighting on the wrong side. These people truly need our prayers because it is obvious they have never known the love of God and that is a tragedy in and of itself.
For the most part the tragedy has pulled us together, but the members of the Arab American community have been attacked and isolated, this must stop, we must not discriminate between color or religion that is not the American way. The Arab American's are wounded and mourning just like the rest of us, to target them makes you no better than the terrorists. It was not just fair skinned Christian's killed that day nor were they strictly American's, people from all walks of life, from many countries and religions were killed that fateful day, there is no room for more hatred and bigotry, we must lift one another up and come together to heal. We are the United States of America, and we are a great nation because of every citizen that inhabits her borders and calls her home, with our rich diversity of peoples interwoven together our country becomes a colorful tapestry of blazing beauty, it is a tapestry of freedom and liberty, and it is something of which I am tremendously proud. Jesus told us to love one another, may our country be that example. America is not a skin color or religion it is a family of which we all are a part and that is how we should live, in unity and love. I have often declared that there is healing power in the name of God, and America is feeling that now and everyone one of us is clinging to God in a way we never have before, and it is His mercy and grace that has allowed to begin to heal. As I close this page, I ask you to keep America, her leaders and allies in prayer as the campaign against terrorism will be hard fought and will require great wisdom and faith, victory will not come easy or swiftly, but I have the faith of Jesus Christ and evil shall never prevail. The world is facing a war more powerful than anything on earth, it is a spiritual battle and one cannot be victorious without God. This is indeed a great nation, may she forever be, "One nation under God with liberty and justice for all." All My Love and Prayers, Valerie
