COLUMN: A Patriot Day prayer

Every year around this time, I consciously quiet myself.

I close my eyes, and somehow I drift back to 2001. Fort Sill, Oklahoma. A new installation. A new baby. New adventures.

And then came devastating news.

Sept. 11, 2001.

I can close my eyes even now and travel back to the day when time stood still.

There are events throughout history that become so deeply etched into our memories that people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they initially heard the news.

For my grandparents, there was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For my parents, there was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

And nearly 20 years after Sept. 11, there would be the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, when fear of the unknown once again gripped people across our nation and around the world.

But Sept. 11, 2001 became my “I remember where I was and what I was doing” moment.

I remember hearing the news from one of my mommy-friends while I was sitting on the bed in meditation before the rigors of the day began for a military wife and mother with a family of “multiples,” as we affectionately referred to families with more than two children.

Then came the news.

At first, there was disbelief. Then disbelief grew into fear. And everything seemed to stop.

Time stood still.

Time stood still because of the fear of not knowing. My mind raced.

Where was my soldier?

Thankfully, I was able to confirm his location.
He was safe.

And then came the realization that military-connected families — and the families and friends of first responders — have become all too familiar with:
the call.

The call that gives the marching orders.

This time, our nation had been attacked, and the United States would have to respond.

My thoughts shifted again.

Who would be sent? Who would be called to respond? Who would be called to rescue? Who would be called to recover the innocent lives of people who could never have imagined that this would be their day — the day our great nation was attacked? And who would receive the call telling them that someone they loved had been chosen to answer?

In those first moments, there was so much we did not know. In those first moments, a silence seemed to rush across the land.

Not knowing whether someone you cared for was caught in the mass destruction. Not knowing whether your family members may have been near the Twin Towers. Not knowing what would happen next.

There are moments when fear grips the heart so tightly that it is hard to breathe.

Sept. 11 was one of those trying moments.

I remember calling home to my mother and father because, somehow, my parents always seemed to know where everybody was.

And if anyone could make sense of what we were watching unfold on national television, surely Mama and Daddy could.

No matter where I was in the world or what was happening, my parents were always the face of peace. My father always had a word of encouragement. My mother always seemed to know exactly what to say to calm our fears. She reminded her adult children that the Lord would be our constant shield. The Lord would take care of us. We were to have faith in Him, for He could bear what we could not.

On Sept. 11, 2001, no one could have dreamed the nightmare that would unfold that day and continue for the weeks, months, and years to come.

There is a song that says, "God only knows."

For me, 2001 was a God only knows year. Sept. 11 was a God only knows day.

God only knew the fear that would grip so many hearts.God only knew the families whose lives would never be the same again. God only knew the courage that would be required before that seemingly endless day would come to a close. And God only knew that among ordinary people were extraordinary servants who would answer when their names were called.

On Sept. 11, modern-day, earthbound angels carried out their individual assignments with extraordinary courage and grace.

Calling all first responders.

Every day, people whose names may never appear in newspaper headlines heeded the call. No fanfare. No parades. Just the call to duty. The call to aid a fellow citizen.

They responded without knowing what awaited them. Some ran toward danger while others were desperately trying to escape it.

Some reached out a hand to a stranger and, in that moment, saw not a stranger at all, but a fellow human being who needed help.

Some searched through smoke, rubble, and destruction, hoping to find one more life.

Some gave no thought to their own safety because someone else needed them.

I am learning in this life that we may not know where or when we will be called to serve.

For many, Sept. 11 was their final service call. For some, Sept. 11 was their final assignment.

And for thousands of innocent people simply living their lives—working, traveling, caring for their families, and beginning what should have been an ordinary Tuesday — Sept. 11 became a final goodbye they never had the opportunity to give.

We remember them, too. Just everyday people. Every day, people whose lives mattered. Every day, people who were loved. Every day, people who were expected home.

And every day, people who, in the midst of unimaginable circumstances, performed in extraordinary ways — Sept. 11, Sept. 12, Sept. 13, and for many months thereafter.

Today, on Patriot Day, we remember all of them.

Those whose lives were taken. Those who gave their lives trying to save others. Those who survived. Those who searched. Those who recovered. Those who served. And the families who have carried their memories ever since.

Let Us Pray

Heavenly Father,

We come before You remembering Sept. 11, 2001, the day when, for so many of us, time stood still.

Before anything else, Father, we remember the lives.
We remember the innocent people who began that morning expecting to return home to those they loved.

We remember the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, grandparents, friends, neighbors, and coworkers whose lives were taken.

We remember those who searched through destruction for any sign of life.

We remember those who saw no strangers that day, only fellow human beings in need of help.

We remember those who placed the life of another before any thought of their own safety.

We remember those who searched, rescued, protected, and prayed throughout that endless day.

And we remember those whose final act on this earth was an act of service to someone else.

Lord, we remember the families. The parents. The husbands and wives. The sons and daughters. The grandparents. The sisters and brothers. The friends and coworkers. The military families who understood that the events of Sept. 11 would soon bring the call to their homes.

Father, comfort every heart that still carries an unfilled hole. Mend minds. Repair spirits. Bring peace to memories that still bring tears.

Father, You are the peace that passes all understanding. Embrace those who still need to feel Your everlasting arms.

And, Lord, thank You for the men and women who answered when fellow citizens needed them most.

Thank you to the first responders. Thank you to the volunteers who seemed to have no time on Sept. 11.
Thank you to every ordinary person who saw another human being in need and chose to help.

Father, may we never become so removed from September 11 that we forget their stories.

Every moment of Sept. 11 told a story that belonged to someone.

May we never forget what sacrifice looks like. May we never forget those who served. May we never forget those who were lost. May we never forget those who gave no thought to their own safety because another life needed saving.

To those who answered the call: You answered. You served. You sacrificed. And to those whose service required everything: Well done, good and faithful servants.

May God grace the families whose loved ones have entered eternal rest. May God bless those who continue to serve. May God bless our military-connected families. May God bless every family for whom Sept. 11 is not simply a date in history, but the date everything changed.

And may God forever bless the United States of America.

Amen.

Carricia Simpson is a Richmond County native now living at Fort Bragg.