September 11

There are things in this world
That some can't handle
All we can do is
Hold our hands, light a candle

We shed our tears
And said our good-bye's
We pull our strength together
And that tightens our ties

Our hearts are heavy
We can't understand
How this could happen
To our mighty land

We go on with our lives
Just trying to cope
And we continue
With even more hope

We can't get back
The lives that have passed
But we'll always remember
The memory will last

(c) Jennifer Rich, 2002.

**God Bless you all and your loved ones.**

~written by my daughter~

My heart grows heavy within my chest
remembering the people who'll be laid to rest.
Crumbling buildings with twisted steel
all of the pictures seem surreal.

May God have mercy on us all
for what has happened and we recall.
This action has no explanation
and now we all want retaliation.

-- Bernie

DO IT AGAIN, LORD by Max Lucado

Dear Lord,

We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy
eye and think, "What a horrible dream."

But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did
gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no
dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no
longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher.
Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father,
Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried
as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But
we didn't.

And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for it. We
don't request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We've read the
accounts. We've pondered the stories and now we plead, "Do it again, Lord.
Do it again."

Remember Joseph? You rescued him form the pit. You can do the same for us.
Do it again, Lord.

Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel
of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his
fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope.
The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. you took Peter
the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went
from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need
counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again,
dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last
Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness
murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed out
morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were
shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a
dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest
Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord, Grant us a September
Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying
with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been
covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of
unity.

And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to
our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel
before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families.
Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have
mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us
grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you've used her to
heal a hurting world.

DO IT AGAIN LORD, DO IT AGAIN.

Through Christ,

Amen.

~This Moment~

Life as we know it has changed.

No longer are we a society of quiet souls.

We have been violated.

We must fight back.

How to regain our control?

Some say fight, some say faith.

Others say nothing.

Tears, bitterness, shock and anger litter our minds

And take over our souls.

All I can think about is this moment.

At this moment:

Several people are crying, hoping their family and friends will be found.

Many are mourning the losses they cannot begin to explain.

A mother is bittersweet with the birth of her new child and the loss of her husband.

Hero’s are being lauded for taking down a terrorist plot.

Men, women and search dogs look with hope in their hearts for survivors.

Americans are lighting candles and saying prayers for lost souls.

America, as a nation, has become stronger.

At this moment, I sit here with tears in my eyes

And sadness in my heart wondering when will

We feel safe again? When will this all end?

At this moment, I am thankful for what I have.

My home, family, friends, and a life that never understood

War, until that moment, September 11, 2001.

Now, I long for that quiet moment, when peace is restored,

And that moment, turns from sadness, grief and loss to

A moment of triumph and a moment of glory.

©Kryss Stephan

9/15/01

I, AM, THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I am the flag of the United States of America.

My name is Old Glory.

I fly atop the worlds tallest buildings. Halls of justice.

I fly majestically over institutions of learning.

I stand guard with power in the world.

Look up and see me.

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.

I stand for freedom.

I am confidant.

I am arrogant. I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners, my head is a little higher, my colors a little truer.

I bow to no one!

I am recognized all over the world.

I am saluted.

I am loved. I am revered.

I am respected -- and I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war for more than 200 years.

I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomatox.

I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France, in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy, Guam, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, Korea and Khesan, Saigon, Vietnam, I was there.

I led my troops.

I was dirty, battleworn and tired, but my soldiers cheered me And I was proud.

I have been burned, torn and trampled on the streets of countries I have helped set free. It does not hurt, for I am invincible.

I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of my country.

And when it is by those whom I've served in battle -- it hurts.

But I shall overcome -- for I am strong.

I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch over the unchartered frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon.

I have borne silent witness to all of Americas' finest hours. But my finest hours are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages on the battlefield, When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier, Or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son or daughter, I am proud.

MY NAME IS OLD GLORY LONG MAY I WAVE.

DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN: LONG MAY I WAVE.

- Author Unknown. Courtesy of Shirley Scott.