Hey angel,
Today's letter to you is difficult to write, but my heart tells me it needs to be done. Your dad and I feel that when you are ready one day, we need you to be aware of what is happening around you. Of course we don't want to scare you or cause you any undue harm; we simply want you to be aware, ready and in complete understanding of why we do what we do and who we want you to be. And throughout your lifetime, you are inevitably going to face heartache, pain and loss; this might make you question "where is God and why does He let this happen." So with this letter, I hope I can answer those two questions for you so you can see how much you are loved and what good can come out of such immense tears and extreme grief.
As you nap peacefully without a care in the world, there are many people in the United States that are mourning right this very second. Today marks the 10th anniversary of "9/11." It was one of the scariest days in our nation's history. Around 8:45am a decade ago, started a series of terrorist attacks upon New York City and the Pentagon. Altogether there were four separate suicide missions that resulted in almost 3,000 US casualties. At least 2,000 of those casualties were working in the Twin Towers that ended up collapsing and over 300 of these losses consisted of firemen. Dads, moms, cousins, sisters, brothers and friends were quickly taken from us that day.
Bella it sounds terrifying correct? You will probably read about it for several years in your history books and you might even watch movies and television shows capturing this painful event. But what we want you to take from this is… through all of this sadness and loss, heroes were made that day, families came together, and our nation (which often is torn in many directions) ended up putting their differences aside and depending on each other. During one of these terrorist attacks, passengers came together to produce a counter-attack and bravely sacrificed their life to divert the plane that was heading for our nation's capital. These simple civilians ended up saving possibly thousands of lives. And as men and women were trapped in the towers, and people were running for their lives as far as possible away from the devastation, policemen, EMT/paramedics and firemen were running full force into the destruction. They didn't hesitate. They only ran faithfully into the unknown to help. And many did not come back out.
Bella, largely as a result of these terrorist attacks, your daddy ended up committing to a powerful tactical unit in the US Coast Guard where he helped put away several evil men. And now he has made another commitment to do exactly what the NYFD did on that horrific day ten years ago. He has become an amazing fireman and everyday he chooses to not hesitate in the face of danger. I do not doubt that if he were one of those men on that plane, he would have devised a successful counter-attack to prevent even more destruction. And please know that just because he makes this sacrifice, it doesn't mean he isn't thinking of you. It is because of you my angel that he does what he does. He is amongst a great group of men who choose to fight and protect in the darkest of times to help the ones they love and to provide another day of life, of breath, of laughter and of joy.
And as our pastor Mark Lee mentioned today in this morning's service, God was there that day. While we know He could have stopped these planes from crashing, He did not. You will probably ask why God chose to not intervene and why He seems to not be around when bad things happen. However, if He did interfere each time and dictate how our lives should be run, then He isn’t truly showing us that He loves us. He is a God of unconditional and eternal love who lets us make our own choices. He is not a tyrant or a dictator. He also is the most masterful “chess player” of all and as you will soon find out, He makes miracles out of the pain and loss. While we often sit confused and are left questioning in the face of tragedy, little do we know that just down the road there is something being created even better than we could ever have imagined. As thousands of lives were torn apart on that September day a decade ago, millions of people came together. Our president recited Psalm 23 that day to millions as he addressed the nation. I guarantee that believers were made that day! Heroes were created, families united, and all of us watching became more patriotic. I believe many leaned on God that day and for the many months that followed. I also know that your daddy would not be where he is today if that horrible day did not happen.
So angel, I will finish this letter off by reiterating how much we love you and will fight for you to live another day. You are part of a powerful nation, and even better, you are loved by an all-mighty God that will carry you through the pain you might face one day. While it scares me, and all I want to do is protect you from any pain, I know as I look at how strong you already are that you have your daddy’s fighting and heroic spirit. And I, nor your father, will ever stand in your way of wanting to help and save, in whatever form you may show it.
