Reflections of September 11

 I remember when the planes went into the twin towers.  Hallie turned 3 years old that day.  For whatever reason, after church on Sunday 2 days before, I had an urge to rearrange her birthday party and we had a spontaneous Sunday party, instead of the Tuesday we had planned.  Because 2 days later, thousands of people died.  There wasn't much celebrating in our home.  This was already a hard time of year for us, as my dad died at the age of 60 September 12, 1994.   I always said that God gave me Hallie in September to give us something joyous to celebrate at the time we were so sorrowful.  Pulled our attention away from the grief of losing the patriarch of our family.  God has been faithful to us, far before I acknowledged that it was God's hand.

I heard something that made me really sad on the radio as I was driving home from Hallie's birthday extravaganza this morning.... The year after the attack almost every american was flying a flag at their home in memory of the precious lives lost that day.  Now 9 years later, there are just a smattering of flags here and there.  Why do people forget?  Why do people get so busy in their everyday lives that they forget all the things that should shape us??  I, for one, will fly my flag every September 11 until the day I die.  I will NEVER forget.

Lacey has been very down this past week.  Rain and cloudy weather make us always down, this year even more so.  I walked into her house last night, and she was just crying and holding a book.   "WHAT??"  my heart pounding....  "Mom, it's our book from the funeral home"  (where all of you precious ones went and wrote your tribute to Laynie)   "It's EXACTLY what I needed, because I need to know her life made a difference, and that it mattered."   Oh my heart.  Oh my aching heart.   Not only for my own loss of a precious lil miracle that carries my heart, but for my precious firstborn who carries my heart as well.  How can I ease her pain, when my own is triplefold??

I know Laynie impacted you people.  I see her fan base still growing, and I know you are sharing her story.  Her life MATTERED, and I hope in the everyday of your lives, you don't stop telling her story.   Don't quit flying your flags and don't ever forget a tiny baby that changed us all.

God is Good, All the Time.