As I reflect on the events of 9/11, this song by Paul Simon speaks to my heart:

We replay the images of that day over and over-they are permanently imprinted in our minds. We remember where we were, as if it had happened yesterday.

Our thirteen grandchildren will only remember from what we tell them. I am thankful they were spared the horrors of that day. But, it is a different story with their parents.

Two of our sons-in-law were working in Washington DC, very close to the Pentagon area. Living more than a thousand miles away and unable to get through to our daughters (due to jammed communication lines), feelings of alarm and distress gripped my heart.

God spared our family heartache on that day, but the faces and cries of those who lost loved ones still haunt my soul. The media showed all and it was heart-wrenching to watch.

So, on this beautiful, clear morning, with a hint of coolness in the air, a day much like that fateful day, I sit quietly and reflect as I watch a video of Paul Simon singing “The Sound of Silence”, commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.

A few lyrics from “The Sound of Silence”:

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

 My heart aches for those in the audience at this commemoration. Even though I don’t know them, I weep with them. They have all come to honor their loved ones who lost their lives on that horrific day. They will tell you that not a day goes by that they don’t think about it. But today, they gather, sharing a common bond with many they have never met.

Together they:

Reminisce

Grieve

Pray

Heal

The encouragement of this day will provide hope to keep going.

MAY GOD HEAL AND BLESS OUR COUNTRY!