10 years ago...

I don't know if I ever wrote down my feelings on that day.  I know that I was living with my parents in Vista and Gavin and I were playing in the kitchen of my parents trailer.  The phone rang and it was my friend Shauna Woolf.  She asked if my brother, Gavin and his, Shawna were ok.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  She told me turn on the tv.  I turned it on and saw, to my horror the 2 towers blazing.  I froze and watched as the rest of the horrific events took place the rest of the morning.  What seemed like hours, was only minutes.  I was able to get through to Gavin & Shawna in NY and know that they were ok.  I cried a lot that day and the days following as all the stories came out.  I felt such a love and pride for my country....and I was a little scared too.  I was pregnant with Cali and fearful of the world I was bringing her into.  

I know that this Country was set aside for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to come forth.  I know that it exists for those of us who love God, to worship Him freely.  I am grateful to live in this Blessed Land and remember today, those that gave their lives to protect those who died and continue to fight and risk their lives to protect our freedoms.

Renewal of Faith Is Needed

Ten years after the harrowing events of September 11th, President Monson remarks on the incredible turn towards religion and spirituality that took place after the 2001 terrorist attacks, but notes that as the collective grief healed, this renewed faith waned. The spiritual lessons of sorrow were forgotten. President Monson makes his comments in a Washington Postseries that asks some of the world’s most influential religious leaders how September 11th affected faith and belief. Read the complete essay.

Heavenly Father Is Faithful to Us

Though His children may sometimes forget Him, President Monson says, Heavenly Father never forgets His children. President Monson urges all people to continue to look to our constant God for guidance in all conditions.

“If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day,” he says, “it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. . . . We too should be with Him in every season.”

President Monson admonishes that destruction and tragedy should be seen as a chance to rebuild our lives with God in our hearts and minds—“we must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him.”