Dear Jaiden:
I asked you last night if you knew what 9/11 was. You replied that it was the day a plane hit a building, and a lot of people died. You knew that bad people had done it, and that a lot of the people who died that day were firefighters. You knew that adults kept saying "Never Forget".
These are the things you knew. We talked a little more, and I shared the details, as near as I could remember them; of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
Today I remembered our conversation, and I began to wonder; "What lessons do I WANT you to know about 9/11? Do I want you to know that evil men hijacked our security and peace for a single day, and changed our world forever?"
No- that is not the lesson here.
Today is 9/12/16, and as I thought about today I realized what I want you to understand is what happened on the day after.
The morning after 9/11, the sun rose over America the same way it had risen the day before. The first rays of sunlight to touch New York City cut through the ash and smoke to illuminate American flags draped from every height and vantage point. The city swarmed with people who left their jobs and drove through the night volunteering to help.
On 9/12/2001, America struggled to her full height, and became the country she had always been intended to be.
Every man and woman alive on 9/11 can tell you where they were when they heard the news. Almost every one of those can also remember the HOPE we felt as a nation on the day after. HOPE that there would be survivors, FAITH that we would make it through this, and LOVE for our country.
In the bible There is a passage that says when everything else is gone- when all of the good stuff in life is destroyed there are still three things that cannot be destroyed. Those three things are Faith, Hope, and Love. The day after 9/11, America had all of those things.
9/11 still troubles my soul. Every year, when it draws near, I feel apprehension about what might happen, annoyance with those selfish people who seem to have forgotten it's lessons, and sadness for what it has cost us as a nation
But what did change was my perspective, seven years after 9/11, to the date. On 9/11/2006, I had to leave the fire station in the middle of the night, and drive to Doctor's Hospital.
The morning after 9/11, the sun rose over America the same way it had risen the day before. The first rays of sunlight to touch New York City cut through the ash and smoke to illuminate American flags draped from every height and vantage point. The city swarmed with people who left their jobs and drove through the night volunteering to help.
On 9/12/2001, America struggled to her full height, and became the country she had always been intended to be.
Every man and woman alive on 9/11 can tell you where they were when they heard the news. Almost every one of those can also remember the HOPE we felt as a nation on the day after. HOPE that there would be survivors, FAITH that we would make it through this, and LOVE for our country.
In the bible There is a passage that says when everything else is gone- when all of the good stuff in life is destroyed there are still three things that cannot be destroyed. Those three things are Faith, Hope, and Love. The day after 9/11, America had all of those things.
That is what I want you to know... that when life has you down- When you're flat on your back in the mud and ashes- there are still three things that NOTHING can take from you.
You can always find FAITH if you search for it- You'll always find HOPE if you can believe in it- but neither FAITH or HOPE would exist without the greatest of these three- and that is LOVE.
I Had read that scripture many times- but I had no idea how powerful LOVE really was.
Let me explain-
I Had read that scripture many times- but I had no idea how powerful LOVE really was.
Let me explain-
9/11 still troubles my soul. Every year, when it draws near, I feel apprehension about what might happen, annoyance with those selfish people who seem to have forgotten it's lessons, and sadness for what it has cost us as a nation
.
As a firefighter, I'm not sure that will ever change.
As a firefighter, I'm not sure that will ever change.
But what did change was my perspective, seven years after 9/11, to the date. On 9/11/2006, I had to leave the fire station in the middle of the night, and drive to Doctor's Hospital.
As dawn began to glimmer outside, a tiny baby boy made his entrance into this world.
I, still in my Fire Department uniform, looked down at his tiny face, and despite the pains of the day, felt HOPE. I looked at you Jaiden, and I saw not what was wrong with the world, but for one moment, what was right, and nothing else.
I savored that moment... Holding the incredible blessing of new life, and none of the pain of 9/11 touched me. I smiled. I looked down at my watch, careful to mark the time. It was 5 am, 9/12/2008.
I savored that moment... Holding the incredible blessing of new life, and none of the pain of 9/11 touched me. I smiled. I looked down at my watch, careful to mark the time. It was 5 am, 9/12/2008.
Your little face was still and peaceful, and looking at you, my heart was overwhelmed with LOVE.
And that is the lesson, son.
And that is the lesson, son.
There will always be days of darkness, there will always be pain and heartache. But darkness can only last through the night. The sun will rise tomorrow, and in every instance where there is LOVE, where there is FAITH, where there is HOPE, terror loses it's grip on The Day After.
I love you son.
Happy Birthday,
Daddy
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