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Where were you?

Is anyone else watching documentaries about September 11?  I just happened to turn one on called "Voices Inside the Towers."  Wow.  Its amazing how something that happened 10 years can still stir such emotions and can be so unbelievable. Haunting.

In the last few days I've been reflecting on where I was that day.  I was riding in a van with other RA's from Cedarville University.  We had come back early to campus for RA training.  We were on our way to a high ropes course for team training.  We had the radio on and someone said something about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. We, like everyone else, thought of a small, misguided plane clipped the tower.  Its hard to imagine it, but we didn't have cell phones, iPad, etc... so we were completely unaware of what was going on.  We went about our normal day.
Our window to the outside world was from the Dean of Students.  His wife was calling him on his cell phone and giving him updates.  After we heard that their was a second plane, we had a sense something was wrong.  I was standing right next to Dean Purple when he was on the phone with his wife and he said, "They just hit the Pentagon and there are more planes in the air. We're at war.  This is bad."  I was so mad the rest of the day.  I was mad at terrorist...even though at the time I probably didn't know it...I was mad at the loss of life.  I was very mad at our leaders that made us continue our training.  Obviously they didn't know the weight of the events of that day and they were just trying to keep our schedule and lives normal.  We kept trying to get any information.
It wasn't until late that night that we gathered in my RD's apartment to see the horrific events of the day with our own eyes.  Being in the dorms as an RA before students arrive was always kind of weird anyways b/c it is so quiet.  Sept. 11 being alone in a dorm room was almost unbearable.  I remember getting my cell phone and sitting on the outside steps talking to my best friend.  I was crying and feeling so overwhelmed.  I just remember some comfort in the fact that I was not the only one feeling such loss.  I felt guilty for feeling grief because I hadn't lost anyone personally.  As an American though, you couldn't help but feel the incredible sense of loss all around you.
One of my fellow RA's told us that her boyfriend was ready to sign up for the military is President Bush called on people to enlist.  At the time I thought, "Wow, that would be so hard on her."  Little did I know that 10 years later my own husband would be fighting in Afghanistan.  With the perspective of 10 years makes it clear how perfect the Lord's plan is even when we can't see it.
I don't think any of us knew the impact that day would have on our nation.  May we never forget those who lost their lives that day and may we never forget those who have fought and given their lives to protect us since.  I am thankful the Lord is in control today, He was in control September 11, 2001 and He will be in control tomorrow as my husband continues to fight.

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