remembering.

In 1996, I was blessed to be a part of a mission trip to New England, and we took a day trip to NYC.

We were able to go to the top of the World Trade Center on that day.

I am so glad we took these pictures to document that trip.

Today, we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001. Lives lost because of an act of evil, and lives lost because of bravery that came about as a result of that evil. I remember the day vividly; the confusion, the fear, the chaos in our country. And the resulting camaraderie, bravery, and patriotism. It was an amazing thing to experience, and I will not ever forget it.

Do you remember? Will you remember today?

"The Lord Most High is your fortress. Run to him for safety, 

and no terrible disasters will strike you or your home." 

~Psalm 91:9-10

I usually forget, but today I remember.

As the years pass by, remembering September 11, 2001 becomes more & more faint. However, each time this date comes around, I remember. I remember walking to class at Faulkner University, when Amy Slauson (Newsom) and Jan Ellis (Lowery) greeted me in the lobby and told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. "Ok..." I thought. It was just a freak accident, right? I mean, no one was hurt, right? I walked into class & found a different story. The teacher, Sam Wallace, updated us. I remember being confused. Frightened. Angry. Sad. It was a very emotional day for me as the reality of the events unfolded. Classes were cancelled. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I walked back to my apartment on campus & called my dad on the way. He didn't really know what to say either. I watched the news footage & it slowly sank in what was happening. We were being attacked. Attacked? Why would anyone attack the U.S.A.? Doesn't everyone love America? Who doesn't appreciate freedom, democracy, patriotism? Of course, the answer to that question was obvious, but those thoughts still flooded my brain. The unity, patriotism, fear of God, and overall sense of camaraderie was evident in our country in the days & weeks that followed. That fervor has, as usual, faded since then. But this morning, as I listened to Rick & Bubba replay clips from their show on that fateful morning, I remembered. I felt the emotions all over again. And I am glad that I can still feel it.

{In case you missed my 09/11 post from last year, Click Here to view some photos of my trip to the World Trade Center.}

God bless America, land that I love.

In case you didn't realize what today is, it's September 11th. I know everyone has their own story about where they were when they found out that the tower was attacked, and we all had so many emotions that day, etc, etc. I will refrain from writing a super emotional post about all of that, because you can probably get that from anyone. Instead, I wanted to share with you some pictures from when I visited New York City in 1996. We went to the top of the World Trade Center, and I got several pics while up there. They are pretty poor quality, but I am so glad I have them. They help me remember that I visited a place that is now gone & will never be there again. They help me remember that thousands of people lost their lives only 5 years after I visited there. Hopefully they will help you remember the emotions you experienced that day. However, instead of being sad about what happened, let's celebrate the freedom we enjoy in America, and focus instead on what we can do to make this country even better.

Enjoy the pics!

Group pic at the top of the WTC - I'm on the bottom right (I really hope you're reading, Dinah!!):

Dinah Pigg, Todd Gilliland, and Melissa (McGuire) Logue at the top of the WTC:

I took this picture looking down out of a window of the tower:

Melissa with the other tower beside her:

View of NYC from the top of the WTC:

The twin towers from what is now Ground Zero: