Time stopper

 

September 10, 2001. 

It was a Monday. For me, the day after that year's Rally Day, the "official" kick-off of the autumn's education program and the congregation's fall schedule.

On my "To-Do List" for Monday, September 10, 2001 was:

• Review the Rally Day ---- what succeeded and what was great on paper yet not so grand in real delivery.
• Read the lectionary texts for the upcoming Sunday and begin to percolate and see what bubbles up in preparation for writing my sermon.
• Call the young couple to remind them of our meeting that week to finalize plans for their daughter's baptism that coming Sunday.
• Prepare the agenda for the next day's meeting of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA).
• Finalize my gifts plan for my niece's fast approaching third birthday.

Not on my list and I dare say yours either was to prepare for the world to change. 

On this 20th Anniversary of September 11th, I've been more reflective. I watched Spike Lee's short documentary and was newly horrified by the images. I listened to a great podcst, SACRED GROUND, and cannot get out of my thoughts a mother whose 19-year old daughter was on board Flight 93 and her saying, "I realized this year that my daughter has now been dead longer than she's been alive."  

Each of us alive during that time has stories and reflections.  Where were you? What did you do? What do you remember?  It was a complete stop to hear someone respond by saying, "I was in First Grade and we watched movies all day. It wasn't until I got home that I learned what had happened." 

I'm a quote person and one of my favorites is "God made humans because God loves stories."  That love of stories may be the most significant God-print we carry. Remember your stories of that day. Listen and learn from another's tales. Reflect upon how that day was one that collectively the world stuck-a-pin in it and know how we were before and how we are since that day.

One of my mother's favorite sayings was, "Life goes on."  Indeed it does. Make the most of the moments given....there always seems to be a before and an after;