9/11

Since I definitely did not write in my journal about this day 10 years ago, I wanted to write about it now on the 10 year anniversary.  I was just starting my senior year at BYU.  I was getting ready for the day in our little vanity area of good ol' apartment 109 at the Riviera.  I almost always listened to CDs in the morning while getting ready, but on that morning I had on the radio for some reason.  I heard the news that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane and immediately turned on the TV.  Let me back up a little here.  I had not a single clue what the World Trade Center was before this day.  A few months before this, I had flown into Newark, NJ for my layover on my way to Madrid.  I remember being so excited to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time from the airplane.  I also remember seeing the World Trade Center and remember wondering what those two huge buildings were all about.  They definitely were prominent down in that lower Manhattan area.  Who knew the next time I saw them, they would be in flames on TV?
So anyway, I was glued to the  TV until it was time to head up to work.  I saw the first tower fall live on TV.  So shocking!  It seemed silly to be going to work/class when something like this was happening.  It really puts things into perspective when major events like this happen.  I remember calling my mom to make sure they were watching the news.  I remember asking her what in the world is going on.  I remember being scared that it was going to start happening all over the place...Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco...as the news came in that another plane had hit the Pentagon and one had crashed in Pennsylvania.
The next few days were weird.  It happened on a Tuesday, so we had a devotional that day.  I remember Pres. Bateman speaking about peace and there being no need to fear.  I remember going to a devotional or something in the Marriott Center and watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform and listening to President Hinckley speak a few days later.  I remember the peace that came from hearing that music and listening to a prophet's voice.  The whole world can be in complete commotion, but as long as we have the gospel of Jesus Christ, there can be peace in our hearts.  I watched hours and hours of CNN and cried and cried.  It was several months before I could listen to the National Anthem or any patriotic song without crying.
I watched several 9/11 shows on Sunday and it brought back many of the same emotions...sadness, anger, disbelief that something like this could happen, that people could hate so much.  I heard one news reporter say that our lives were forever changed that day whether we were directly affected or not.  This is so true.  My thoughts and prayers have been with those who lost loved ones on this day 10 years ago especially those who lost parents and spouses.  I have always loved America, but spending time abroad followed a few months later by this tragic day created a deeper love for this great nation.  I am grateful for the chance to have visited both New York City and Washington, DC several times in the last 10 years and to have visited Ground Zero and the Pentagon.  I love these cities!  America is truly a special place preserved for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  God bless it!  I certainly won't ever forget that day 10 years ago.