Safety is of the Lord

 Ten years ago this day, in the early morning, I was at work and talking on the phone to the mayor of our town. As I was watching events on television I told her we needed to get off the phone, as she needed to turn the television on.

  Death and destruction was reigning down on southern Manhattan. Initially, there was limited information. We just knew it was bad. Everyone knew !  In the hours and days to follow there was published reports of heart breaking communications of love and good-byes. It was a day of tears. We all suffered.

  About ten months before the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, I was visiting New York and was staying at the Marriott, which was positioned between the two towers. As I watched the news and saw the images of the burning buildings I thought about the people I saw working in the towers. Maybe, it was just eye contact, or a smile, or even a conversation. Did they make it out, I kept thinking. I will never know.

  I have been back to New York since and at the site of the World Trade Center. It’s somber. People mill about quietly and respectfully. The gallantry and selflessness of those hours of attack, by the emergency responders, rank with the highest sacrifices in the annals of America.

  September 11, 2001 is a stark reminder that the world is a dangerous place, and hate can reach anywhere and touch anyone. Nobody’s immune. Death can pursue us on the loneliest road or in the most bustling metropolitan center. But, the Proverb comforts us and assures us that ” safety is of the Lord.”