Let's Roll

There aren't many days in my life that I can remember so vividly as I do with September 11, 2001. I was 14 years old and had just gotten out of seminary. Sister Peay had told us a little of what she knew had been happening out in the world. She usually gave us a ride home and then Mama would take us to school. Sarah and I were usually chatter boxes being as how we had been up for a few hours already. This day was different. We were silent and when we got home we told Mama about a plane hitting a tower in NY. Mama was confused and turned on the T.V. She seemed to not leave view of it for a week. As we drove to school the the 2nd plane had hit the building. I was a naive girl at the time and didn't understand that people had done this intentionally. Once I understood I then couldn't understand why people would want to inflict so much pain and hurt on perfect strangers. How could this happen to America? How would this end?

As we got to school my first class period was P.E. We had a long discussion about how this would mold us as a generation. Coach Schultz was a tough guy but this was the first time I had seen him get emotional and teach us about what our lives were gonna be about. He knew this was going to change our nation and the way we were going to grow up. He tried to prepare our minds for what was to happen.

2nd period wasn't the same. Biology. Something you would think you could go on without learning for a day. No. Our teacher told us that the T.V. would be on but that we would continue with the lesson. I didn't understand because in history class we always had to interview someone that had lived through an important time in history. This was my experience. By this time the plane in Pennsylvania had crashed in a field and the Pentagon had been hit. This was getting worse as the day went on and I can't count the times I had cried during my classes as we talked about the events.

Well, it's been 10 years and today my mom and brother were remembering the things we have learned from that day. Here are some highlights:

-Heroes are everywhere. Sure the firemen and police were "just doing their job". They could have done other jobs that day and avoided the area and many went to help on their day off. Everyone has a choice. They chose to help save lives that day. As people were stumbling down the stairs on their way out of the building the firemen running up the stairs never missed a beat. They had been trained for this. They were not going to quit.

-Nationwide everyone was glued to the T.V. Most people didn't have a connection at all to NYC however, everyone took the attack personally. How could this happen to "us"? What could we do to help? Pictures of people coming out of the rubble, posters of missing family members, and days of searching for anything lead Americans to show their patriotism. Flags were hung everywhere. Prayers always had protect our country and support our troops. We were all united in a passion for freedom.

-Flight 93 was a perfect example of what it means to be an American. Their flight was delayed and resulted in many of the passengers finding out about the previous plane hijackings. They decided and voted on what they should do. They planed and executed a scheme to overtake the plane. They were heroic that day in saving who knows how many lives. They sacrificed everything for people they knew nothing about. This was the first successful battle for the war against terrorism.

-After this day you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a flag. As we waited line to be dropped off for school every car had window flags, pick-up trucks had them on either side of the beds and motorcycles drove with them on the back. Flags were everywhere to be seen. Driving through neighborhoods every home had either a flagpole or flags on their garage. Sami had Daddy and the boys hang her 6x10 flag we once had in our room out in our front yard. It hung in between the trees and no passing car could go without seeing it. Mama still has the flag she put in her car from that day. It's a little faded from before but still hanging from our mirror. 

-America IS a blessed nation. Our leaders have been inspired by Heavenly Father to make our nation what it is today. There is no other place I would rather live in this world. We all have an obligation to do our part whether it's helping someone in need in our community, voting, or united together in a cause that is much greater than we may understand. We all give some but some give all.

We have come so far in 10 years. The sacrifices others have made for me remind me of the sacrifice that Christ has mad for us all however we are not strangers. He knows all of us by name. He loves us and protects us while still give us our agency. We are forever indebted to him for his Atonement.