a day of infamy

I can't believe it's been 10 years since 9/11. I can't believe there is a generation of kids growing up who don't have a connection to that event at all. As I have no idea how the Vietnam War affected the past generations of Americans, or how other big events like the Watergate scandal changed people's lives.

 I remember I started this blog around this time last year, and wrote a whole long cathartic post on my 9/11 memories. It's late now, and I doubt I'll write anything nearly as long and coherent...but I can't help but feel unwhole if I don't finish this before I go to bed.

 I took a long time thinking of a good Facebook post to put up just now. I wanted to say something along the lines of "America forever" or "We will never forget" or something similarly popular and populist and patriotic. But I found myself getting stuck...was I really proud to be an American? What do I think about this long war we have fought? I got political about it. What a strange place to be. Normally I'm just solidly patriotic. I caught myself being cautious of what I said. And thinking about this never-ending conflict of the human race, whatever the particular difference may be. Do I condone war? I don't know. There are plenty of battles and wars in the Bible. Yeah, the non-God-sanctioned ones didn't alway end up too well, but what about when God told the Israelites to wipe out a particular race? Wow, that didn't make any sense. I mean, America doesn't fight wars based on what God tells us to do. So does that mean any war we're fighting is wrong?

 And the funny thing is I didn't mean to get political about it. I just want to honor the memory of those who unwittingly died in the initial attacks. I suppose the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars are so tied in with 9/11, for me, that I can't separate them. I am so immensely grateful and admire very much the men and women in the service who have served and continue to serve in those places and elsewhere. (And so glad Lt K is back safely!) Maybe they don't keep me safe here in IL...after all I could get mugged and they couldn't do anything about it, but I like to think they make America a slightly safer place by preventing the enemy from attacking American soil.

And so I think I'll commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks with prayer for the families still mourning loved ones, and for those still serving overseas...for God's will to be done and for his justice to rule. Amen.