This coming Saturday is September 11, 2021. For some of the very young, this date may not
mean much; but for most of us that date is one that will forever be burned into
our conscience. Just as December 7, 1941
was burned into the hearts and minds of a couple of generations ago for what we
now call Pearl Harbor Day, so 9-11 will be on our minds and hearts for many
years to come.
If you are like most of us, you know exactly where you were
and what you were doing when you heard the news of the first plane ramming one
of the twin towers…then the second doing the same thing to the other tower. You recall President Bush’s face when, as he
was reading to a group of elementary school kids, he was told that the nation
was under attack. You recall at least
some of the wall-to-wall coverage by the media, the look of total astonishment
and bewilderment on the faces of the responders, and the sight of people
leaping out of the windows of the towers multiple tens of stories up…looking at
certain death one way or the other.
You recall some of the memes that were put on social
media. You recall talking with family
and friends, trying to process the events of the day. As time went on, you began to wonder why we
didn’t know this was going to happen and why we didn’t take measures against
terrorism on American soil to protect us from it.
As you processed the events of 9-11 over the next weeks and
months, something changed within you as well.
Almost imperceptibly, you began to feel a bit more nervous and concerned
about things in general. You became
weary of the news cycle. You wondered in
the back of your mind when the next shoe would figuratively drop. You began to feel a bit less safe and secure
in your everyday environment. You were
trying to adjust to a “new normal” and a “new reality,” but you were somehow
still connected to the old and were
having trouble moving over to that new thing called terrorism.
And things haven’t changed much over the years. Yes, we’re finally out of Afghanistan, which
was a result of 9-11. I don’t know if it
was the right thing to do to go in in the first place, and I don’t know about
leaving, and how we left. And I don’t
know if we really accomplished our purpose in being there. I’ll leave all of those decisions, and the
responsibility for them…to those who are supposed to know and whose job it is
to make those decisions.
Yes, it’s true there hasn’t been another attack on American
soil like the one on 9-11 since that day 20 years ago. And yes, we now have the TSA and other
measures designed to protect us and even thwart future terrorist
activities. We’ve spent trillions of
dollars on protection, military conflicts, and safety in one way or
another. Yet for some strange reason, I
don’t feel much safer. I still am some
nervous and concerned. I still tire of
the news cycle. I still wonder when the
other shoe will drop. I still remember
those who lost their lives, those who jumped out of 80-story windows, and those
who ran toward danger rather than away from it.
I recall with thanksgiving those who have served and are serving,
whether in the military, or in public service such as police, fire, and EMS.
And one other thing I recall. I recall a recent post by Anne Lamott as she
mused about the current situation regarding COVID, the hurricanes, Afghanistan,
and other major events of the day. In
the post she talks of how the current situation has affected her and how she
would respond to her Sunday School class of kids…well…rather than tell you what
she wrote, I’ll just read what she wrote and let these words enter into your
conscience. This is Ann Lamott now.
I am having trouble remembering all the things
to be freaked out about right now. It’s once again like trying to put an
octopus to bed; just when you think you’ve finally tucked in all the arms, one
pops out. I feel alternately crushed, enraged, and flabbergasted; also, hopeful
and amazed by the roaring and tender humanitarian response to Afghanistan, hurricane
Ida, and Texas.
What would I tell my Sunday School kids today
if we were in person? I always tell them the same things—that grace bats last:
to notice the beauty all around us, the meadows near us, tawny beneath the soft
grey fog; to know that God calls them Beloved, as is and no matter what; to
listen and hear each other.
This is Jay again. Did
you catch that phrase, “Grace bats last?”
That’s a signature phrase of Lamott, using a baseball analogy. And here is another quote from her explaining
more about what that phrase means to her.
This is from an interview in 2013.
Interviewer: We live in a supposedly religious country.
Yet we are bitterly divided and not very civil with each other.
Lamott: I believe that against all odds, grace bats last,
and that little by little, in ways that may not be visible for awhile, this
polarization will heal. For my part, I pray not to be so self-righteous, and to
keep remembering that we are all one family.
This is Jay again. So,
on this 20th anniversary day of 9-11, as you recall the events of
that day and of the months and years following, please also remember that
“Grace bats last,” and that we truly are all one family. And take that truth into the present as you
navigate this uncertain world of COVID, freaky weather, political turmoil,
polarization, and tragedy. Notice the
beauty that surrounds you. Notice the
work of God as He works through His people to redeem the creation. Notice the love of God as he calls us to
Himself.
May God bless his creation this day and bless us, the
crowning glory of that creation.
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