91101

September 11, 2001

Attack on America

"The Day America Cried"

~Graphic by unknow artist~

"But the LORD your God you shall fear;
and He will deliver you from the hand
of all your enemies.''

~2 Kings 17:39~

September 11, 2001 I was awaken by cries from my daughter telling me that terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. To my disbelief, I turned on my TV and sat in utter disbelief as I watched the terror play out. As I watched, no tears fell from my eyes, there were pouring forth from my heart. Tears of sadness and love were pouring out to all of the victims and their families. And yes to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. And yes, WHY, why did this happen, and HOW could anyone be as heartless to do such a demonic act which they would have know would take thousands of helpless and innocent lives.

Prayers, only prayers could I offer for all of our countrymen, and they poured forth with each new picture of horror that I saw. They were not long eloquent prayers, only a quiet – God Bless these your children. God have mercy on us and on the whole world for this tragedy. Prayers I offer for all of the Service men and women, in active duty and the Reserves. Prayers I offer for my husband, an Army Reservist.

Father, bless these men and women, Your children Father, give them Your protection. Guard them from harm, and Father, love them. Father, be with President Bush, grant him Your wisdom, guide him in making the right decisions of planning retaliation against the terrorists, lead him to the right time, place, and how to carry out the attack. Father, please bless the USA and all of Your children. In You Holy Name, Amen….

As I watched, news broke that a plane crashed in Somerset County of South-West Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, I live in about 3 hours North of there. With even more disbelief I continued to watch in horror as they described the plane and the number of people that were lost at this site. The only thing that could be said was Praise the Lord that the plane went down in a rural area. The pilot must have crashed there to avoid a worse tragedy. God, please bless those dear souls and heroic people.

As disbelief turns in to reality, and fear of the unknown sets in, my mind wonders and I continue to pray. We must not let this day defeat our belief that God is in control, and that He is here for us, even in the midst of this horror, He is with us. Dear God, be with us and God please bless the USA.

As I sit here and write down my thoughts, I cannot help think of the song by Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”. I think back on the times that I sang along with others singing this patriotic song. One time was at a performance in Ohio, where Lee Greenwood was the main performer that day. It was a thrill to sit and hear him sing, but more of a thrill when he asked the audience to join in. I was proud to stand there beside my dear Mom and sing that I was proud to be an American. Since then, Mom has joined our Lord, but I know that her heart was singing proudly that day too. Another time, was at my husbands former Reserve Units Military Ball. The commander at that time asked that we all would join in singing “God Bless the USA”. This was the year in which the Gulf War took place, again it was an honor to stand there among these men and women and their spouses. I am proud of my husband and the others that would so freely go to fight to keep their country free. So I feel that it is only right to place the words of this song here as a tribute to the men and women of our Armed Forces, for those that we have lost in this tragedy today, and for all of the USA.

“God Bless the USA”

Preformed by Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
But I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up
Next to you
And defend her still today
Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
There's pride in every American heart
And it's time we stand and say

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up
Next to you
And defend her still today
Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up
Next to you
And defend her still today
Cause there ain't no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

I belong to a wonderful group of Christian sisters and brothers called SING,
Servants In the Name of God, and we have been sharing prayers, support, and love.
Most of all, we have been sharing God’s love. The following prayers, articles and
graphics are some of the one that have been shared with all of us. May they be
a source of inspiration to you.

Friends, For those of you who don't know it, I am a firefighter.
Today I lost close to 300 brothers and sisters. I came to work to this
devastation, knowing one of my best friends is a captain in the New
York City fire department and had to be in the midst of the turmoil.
After a day of emotional draining, here is what my weary mind produced

.

"A Tear Fell"

A tear fell, and was heard around the world.
Morning broke, bright and clear.
A new day, full of hope, full of promise.
Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters-
Family. They kissed, they hugged, they said goodbye.
They would meet again,
Meet when the duties of the day were fulfilled.
Then a tear fell, and was heard around the world.
The unspeakable came to visit America,
Land of the Free.
Human-filled missiles. Balls of fire from the sky.
Twin towers. World icons. Now ominous infernos.
Open mouths, stares of disbelief.
Then, in a moment, the towers were gone.
A tear fell, and was heard around the world.
Piles of rubble remained where hours before
Thousands appeared for a normal day of toil.
Dads, moms, sons and daughters-
If they forgot to say goodbye they never would.
Gone in a moment, gone in horror, hurled to their
deaths.
America rallied. More important, the World rallied.

A tear fell, and was heard around the world.
Rescuers by the hundreds died
When the behemoths came down.
The hopeless, the helpless, jumped to their deaths,
Hundreds of feet in the air, plummeting like birds,
Forgotten how to fly.
But they will not be forgotten. Ever.
A tear fell, and was heard around the world.
Broken bodies, broken homes, broken dreams.
The cries of those buried alive went unheard.
But some, by the mercy of God, were saved.
Somehow, some way, their angels found them,
Hovering there, weeping, praying.
Calling on that very God their nation had forgotten.
People died that autumn day.
People died by the hundreds.
Defenseless people died without warning.
From the air, they died. From the towers, they died.

They came to rescue their fellow man, and they died.
A monument will rise there, on hallowed ground,
For a tear fell, and it was heard around the world.

~Kirby Jonas~
September 11, 2001
New York City Fireman

May God bless you Kirby Jonas, for your unselfish devotion to others.
Without men and women like you, those that were saved may have been lost.
My prayers are with you, and God Bless you Always…

The following picture graphic came from my dear friend and SING sister Donna.
Donna lives in the great country of Australia, and I think just looking at and
reading the graphic clearly shows you the love that Donna sends to
all of people of America.

Donna, thank you my dear for your love, May God Bless you Always…

Dear Heavenly Father,
We are moved by the alarming news and crisis that our country is facing.
This is the greatest nation, founded in the belief that "In God We Trust"
the Land of the Free. Please have mercy on those suffering, hurting and
in fear, and give wisdom, strength to those who are assisting. May the
forces of evil be broken by your power and may we be humble before thee,
our strength and refuge. Give wisdom to our President, our leaders and
bring your comforting peace through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Help us reach out to those that have been affected by this tragedy

In the name of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
AMEN

Graphic by Sweet Slumber, another dear SING sister..
Thank you Teri, May God Bless you Always.

The following awesome poem I received over the Internet. A New York City Firefighter, a quiet hero among the dust and turmoil of the day, wrote the poem. We do not stop to think of those that who so selfishly give of their time and as we saw today, their lives. We just take it for granted that they are there. May we take time to pray for these unspoken heroes and for their loved ones. Father, bless these men and women who are doing Your will in the way that they know the best. Grant them Your protection and safety as they search for their lost brothers and sisters. Father we thank You for these truly heroic people. Amen.

The above lovely teardrop was sent into SING to share with our members by
our dear sister Barb. Thank you Barb for sharing this with us. The artist of this
beautiful graphic is Melanie Kaye Scott. Melanie, thank you so much for
sharing your talent and my God Bless you.

Picture is by Rik Berry at http://www.rikberry.com

They say that one picture is worth a thousands words.
And I think this picture says it all..
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!