7 Years

I can't believe it has already been seven years since our world has changed completely. The days of meeting family at the gate at the airport, of not worrying about terrorism on our own land are almost forgotten. I, like most of you, remember exactly where I was at the moment I found out that we were under attack. I was in Fort Bragg, California, on the 3rd day of a fun Pacific Coast Highway trip. I was up early to get ready to go when I turned on the news and saw the first tower on fire. I was mesmerized. I had been there before, and had looked down those many hundreds of feet to the teeny people on the ground. I had marveled at how huge the buildings were. How stable and solid they were. I was amazed at the thousands of people who worked in those buildings on a daily basis. Then I watched in horror as I saw the second plane crash into the other tower. I cried then. That was when it hit me. We did continue on our trip that day. We were headed to San Francisco to see the touristy sites. The city was all but shut down. We went to the Oakland Temple to visit a friend who was a sister missionary there. I remember her saying, "Take a picture of San Francisco now because you will never see it without a plane in the sky again." I did. I think of all those people who lost there lives that day. The heroes that knew they were going into danger and the heroes that had no idea. I was chilled when the country pulled together, when everyone took a moment to say a prayer to whatever God they believed in, when the Stars and Stripes were so proudly displayed in just about every home and on every car, when we were truly, "one nation under God." I miss those days. I don't miss the horror or the loss, but I miss the unity. I really hope and pray that for just one day we can forget about the contention and remember the unity that we felt those seven years ago.