Osama bin Laden is Dead

The attacks of 9/11 happened years before my children were born, but that day, will still be a big part of their history, just as yesterday will be. I remember very clearly walking across campus the morning of September 11, 2001 and hearing the hushed voices of my fellow Aggies talking about the plane(s) that flew into the World Trade Center. The actual reality of this, though, didn't hit home until I walked into my duplex, sat down on the couch, and turned on the news.

Devastation. The trade centers were collapsing, another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania, and yet another into the Pentagon. What was happening to our country? The man behind these terroristic plots/attacks? Osama bin Laden.

In the years since the attack, it has faded to the back of my mind. Still there, but not really thought of unless brought up on the news or in a political conversation. I knew no one at the WTC or in the Pentagon or in the four planes that crashed that day.

Yesterday, though, the memories from that day all came flooding back as the announcement that U.S. Navy Seals had brought Osama bin Laden to his demise. On May 1, 2011, Osama bin Laden was shot and killed in Pakistan. That day will undoubtedly be an important piece of history for the U.S.

This morning, there are, of course, interviews on every major news station with the family members who lost their loved ones in the attacks of 9/11. As I was watching the Today Show, one interview hit me really hard. The interview was with the mom, dad, and brother of a woman who died in the World Trade Center that day. At the end of the interview, the mom spoke of the last phone call she received from her daughter. Her daughter told her she was on the 104th floor, she was hot, she was scared, and she asked her mom for help. "Mom, help me. Get me out of here."

A few months ago, we were at Chick-fil-A and Kason was playing in the play land. There were a lot of older kids who were paying no attention to the toddlers in their way. At one point, Kason got stuck in the corner of a tunnel where we couldn't see him, but could hear his cries, "Mommy, Daddy, help me. Mommy, Daddy, help me." My heart was breaking that day as I couldn't get to my son as he was crying for help.

This was all I could think about as she was recounting that phone call. How must your heart break when you can't save your child? How do you recover from that? I pray that I never have to find out.

I ask that you pray for all those who lost that day and as Mother's Day approaches, I hope that you will say a special prayer for all the Moms who lost a child on 9/11 and for all the Moms who perished that day.

Please also continue to pray for the leaders of our country, that they have the wisdom to lead and guide us through whatever lies ahead, and for our military men and women, as they continue to serve and protect, and for their families, who sacrifice every day. The coming days/weeks/months will almost assuredly bring backlash from al Qaeda and bin Laden followers and it is important that we not forget those who lay their life on the line to protect our country.