Samantha Pierce

The teenager who joked with me over physics and algebra homework tonight was 6 months old the morning of September 11, 2001. He spent that day like many other 6 month olds spend their days, exploring his world and being saved from his own curiosity by mom. That morning after I got tired of hauling him back from the edge of the bed he was intent on crawling over I took him downstairs to safer level terrain. I turned on the television to check the news like I did every morning back then. At first I was horrified by what I saw. One smoldering tower. Not long after, while all the reporters and newscasters were struggling to make sense of what they were seeing, one plane, another tower, and I was pissed. At that point I understood what was happening. Why did people think, and still think, that kind of wretchedness served their cause? I didn't care what the cause was. These were arrogant fools. But the news kept coming about just how wretched humanity had been to itself that day. The ...

Ten years have gone by so fast. God have mercy on us. God have mercy on those who waste their lives trying to repeat such carnage.

Do you remember what you did that day? I sure don't.

Shock, followed by a sleeplessness night, followed by time in front of the television once the kids were on the school bus, followed by surprised tears upon viewing a brief collection of footage from the last ten years. That is a general overview of the sequence of my reaction to the news that Osama bin Laden is dead. It is remarkable to see so many young people in the streets celebrating Bin Laden's meeting with justice. Partly because I'm now old enough to think of them as young people but mostly because so many of them were just kids on September 11, 2001. The events of that day in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville left a mark the scope of which we still don't fully comprehend. The rest of the world should remember that. Bin Laden's buddies who will use this as an excuse to remain on the war path (as if they ever had any intention of leaving it) need to remember that. Some are beginning to talk about the unintended consequences of killing Osama bin Lade...

Today we remember the evil that was done 9 years, we remember those who were taken from us, and we remember the heroism of those who rose to the challenge that day and every day since. Icarus II In the darkness I rise, long before the dawn I was dreaming of home and the life I led I can hear the sound, of the engines roar And I crave the embrace of my empty bed Where I'm safe (there I'm safe) But the call is clear, and the task is set And my enemies wait in the dark sky Do they fear the same fear, do they dream like us Do they long for the day when it's over And they're safe We are cruising above the horizon Never knowing if we will return In a moment we'll loose the destruction And we'll justify all that we burn Here the air is cold, but my thoughts are clear And so I'm wondering why I must be here For the evil that can come, from the heart of a man Must be answered in kind 'til it disappears And we're safe Now we're cruising above the horizon N...

My sister shared this with a friend who thankfully did not lose her life on this day eight years ago. Psalm 91 (English Standard Version) My Refuge and My Fortress 1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is m...

I will never forget the images of policemen, firemen, and everyday people rushing through the streets toward the danger. I will never forget the dust covered survivors grimly making their way toward the danger looking for people to help knowing that they had lost many friends and colleagues. I will never forget those who flocked to New York City to bring supplies and encouragement to weary rescue workers. Even in the midst of the horror birthed in the minds of men we saw the courage, the goodness and the heroism that can be borne in our hearts. I can never, will never, look away from the images of that day from New York City, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Through tear filled eyes I will look and remember those who died, those who sacrificed and give thanks for those who lived. It's not enough to merely remember on this day. We must remember every day. We must teach our children to do better than the black hearts that planned that day. We must live lives worthy of ...

All swine all flu all the time. I think most of the media coverage so far has been of the "if it bleeds it leads" variety but I did find a few things worth noting. For a bit of perspective on the potential pandemic consider, Well up until WWII and the development of antibiotics and mass vaccinations, our forbearers suffered through plague after plague of such scale that they make even AIDS look trivial by comparison. After discussing the yellow fever outbreak that devastated Memphis, Tennessee in the 1870s the blogger notes, So yeah, Swine flu can be fairly nasty, and yeah it can spread fast thanks to modern transportation, but our forbearers wouldn’t even have noticed it as an annoyance. We should all be grateful we live in an age when such a minor communicable disease causes us concern. A bit more perspective, Swine flu: nothing new As of this writing, 80 people in Mexico have succumbed to swine flu. By comparison, the CDC estimates that 36,000 people in the United States...

Seven years seems like so long and at the same time not so long at all. Seven years on the edge of the shock, anger and sadness has dulled a bit. But there are still times when it feels like it is all happening right now. We can't ever forget what happened that day seven years ago lest we relax our vigilance and the ravening horde strikes again.

Over the weekend a flier from a local furniture store came in the mail. It seems that they will be having a big clearance sale on September 11 this year. I know Americans have a habit of thoroughly commercializing every holiday and every day of remembrance but isn't it a bit early to be doing this to 9/11? I'm really not interested in remembering those who died that day buy going on a shopping spree. Are you? As I searched for images to include in this post I became unexpectedly emotional. The photo of Father Mychal Judge's body being carried away from ground zero had me sobbing as if I were watching the towers fall for the first time. Father Judge "Out of the wreckage of the south tower, first responders carry the body of Father Mychal Judge, the FDNY chaplain, to St. Peter’s Church. (Photograph by Shannon Stapleton / Reuters)" I have always found photos of those running to the scene to help and those working to save lives that day and the crater in the earth th...