Ten Years Later

Today we held a special commemoration service to remember.  We remembered the events of this day 10 years ago - September 11, 2001.  We all can recall where we were and what we were doing when we heard the Twin Towers had been hit; just like our parents can recall what they were doing when they heard President Kennedy had been assassinated.

As we prayed for the ones left behind, I thought of the children.  If given a chance, what would I as an orphan share with these who had lost a father or a mother.

1. You will always miss them.  The sharp intense pain will ease.  But there will always be that void in your heart.
2. There will be times you miss them more than other times.  As a bride you'll wish your daddy could walk you down the aisle.  As a parent, you'll wish you could talk to your mother and ask her advice.
3. One morning, you'll wake up and not remember.  You won't remember what they looked like, how they sounded, the safety you felt as your daddy held you in his arms, or the taste of your mother's pumpkin pie.
4. People won't know how to act around you.  Sometimes they'll blubber all over themselves trying to say something.  Other times there will be a complete, almost awkward silence - almost as if they don't want to acknowledge your pain.
5. Some days you will want to hear nothing about your parent(s).  That may be the day everyone wants to talk about them.  Other days you will want to do nothing but talk about your parent(s).  Those may be the days others don't want to talk about them or make you feel bad for your memories.
6. There are days you may think about "the other side".  You may wonder how their loved ones are faring.  Do their children feel the same as you?  Do their mommies cry when they think of the pain caused by their sons?
7. Certain songs will make you think of your parent(s).  Everytime I hear the "Hallelujah Chorus", I think of my parents and want to cry.  I see them in heaven.  Sometimes they are standing up praising the Lord.  Other days I see them bowed in front of the throne - in awe of the Creator.
8. Anger may be a part of your life.  Anger will surface when you think of the ones responsible for the death of your parent(s).  Some days you'll be angry at your surviving parent.  Why didn't they do something to keep the other one at home?  Other days you may be angry at the parent you lost.  Why did they have to go on that business trip?  What was so important about going to visit Grandma?
9. Some days you will just cry.
10. The Lord is faithful.  He will provide - the strength, the comfort, the peace, the forgiveness.

As Horatio Spafford says in that song we love "It Is Well With My Soul"

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

A Childhood Friend

Childhood friends...are some of the best friends one can have.  As a young child, I had 2 best friends...my cousin, Matt, and a girl who lived close to me.  I ended up moving from the northern US to the southern US.  My cousin, Matt, still remained in my life but I lost contact with the other friend.  I remembered her name started with an "R" but that was all.  Looking through pictures that came down with us, I found a picture of this girl, my sister and me.  On the back of the picture, I wrote our names but wrote my friend as Rhonda.  

My "new" parents couldn't help me remember her name.  They had not known her.  Whenever we would travel back up north and visit the cemetery, I used to dream that this friend would be driving by the cemetery, see the out of state car, realize it was me, stop & we could re-connect.  Of course that never happened.

The year I turned 30, my uncle passed away.  My sister, her husband, my husband & myself all flew north to the funeral.  Reconnecting with the people who had been in our lives before moving was an emotional experience.  We couldn't remember them but they remembered us.  We met a lady with whom our father taught school.  We also met another lady & her husband.  She told me her daughter had been my friend when I was little.  Her daughter was the friend whom I had missed.  She gave me her daughter's name and address.  The daughter and I wrote letters for a little while.  But as many of you know, I am not a good letter writer.  There were things going on in each of our lives and we lost contact.

This past fall, I decided to look for my friend on facebook and found her.  We spent the first night sending private messages back and forth for about two hours.  I apologized to my husband for not doing anything but sitting in front of the computer for that long.  "That is alright," he told me.  "You have 36 years of catching up to do." 

How thankful I am for a Lord who loves me enough to provide for me.  He has provided wonderful loving parents (two sets), a husband, a cousin Matt and my newly-found long-lost friend, Rushteen.  

"This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope, the LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."  (Lamentations 3:21-23 NASB)