I want a second glance, so give me a second chance to see the way you see...

This day always hurts my heart. I remember vividly watching, on live TV, the planes crash into The World Trade Center. My oldest children were eating their breakfast, and I was catching up on the morning news before school. I thought we were watching a movie premier... and when I realized what was happening I was horrified. Actually, horrified does not do justice with what or how I was feeling.

Do you remember?

Thing 1 spent the evening of September 11, 2001 coloring while Jefe and I watched with horror the events unfolding in New York. Every so often she would ask me "Mama, what happens in March? Mama, What happens in June?" This went on for over an hour. At the end, she brought us her finished creation, and I cried. It was a beautiful calendar, but what made me cry was what was on September. She had drawn a flag, with a man holding it and it said simply: "The war."

I lived in the heartland of America. Our countries pride ran deep there. When all the planes were grounded, there were thousands of people who landed at our airport, just outside of Chicago. They were stranded, yet it was an awesome sight to see how my community banded together.

Every where I looked there were flags. Flags on cars; flags on houses and flags on businesses. There were patriotic messages on all the church signs. The signs were pleading with us to remember... Patriotism was strong and we discovered as a nation just how much we not only loved this country, but that we could be united and strong. Suddenly, it no longer mattered what political group you affiliated with. Washington stopped fighting, and together we were united. Can you imagine the country we would be if we could have hung on to this... this what? This Unity. It was the first time in my young life I had seen a united country. I remember it well, do you?

I will never forget.

The Bishop of our ward was a former Catholic Priest. (I know!) He gave the most beautiful sermon, the Sunday after this had happened, that I have ever heard. Our church was over crowded that day with people from all over the community. We were all looking for answers, some sort of peace. I was worried about our family; Jefe's family is a military family. We had very good friends that were military people. What would this mean? It was a frightening time. However, that day--that Sunday afternoon-- the peace was there and comfort was given by my Bishop, the former Priest.

When I heard this song for the first time, I listened to it over and over. Then, when I saw that someone had made this song into a tribute video for 9-11... Well. It is the perfect tribute. The perfect prayer for those of us left behind:

"Give me your eyes for just one second; Give me your eyes so I can see; Everything that I keep missing; Give me your love for humanity; Give me your arms for the broken hearted; Wasn't it far beyond my reach? Give me your heart for the once forgotten; Give me your eyes so I can see..."



I vow to remember and to never forget what was sacrificed for me... for my freedom. Today, I pray that God will give me his eyes so that I can see as he sees. "I want a second glance So give me a second chance. To see the way you see..."


Do you remember where you were? Do you remember how you felt? What are you doing to honor those we lost?