Like every other American, today was a time of reflection. It also caused me to marvel at how different my life is today, as opposed to that Tuesday eleven years ago. Our lives were reeling before the airplanes even hit the twin towers. The previous afternoon we had met with the doctor and received the diagnosis that Barb had breast cancer. As rescue workers sifted through the remains at Ground Zero, Barb and I struggled to keep our lives on an even keel. As it was, our nation responded and in time we discovered a "new" normal. After three surgeries and extended radiation treatments, Barb was told she was cancer free. We too have discovered a new normal; Twice a year check-ups, regular mammograms and the fact that the threat of cancer is something we continue to live with.
Our lives are different in other ways as well. In 2001 I was in ministry as a school counselor at Lutheran High, and was called on that day to lead an impromptu chapel service. Now in semi-retirement, I do free-lance writing and work as a hospital chaplain. Barb recently left her position as a director of music to join me on the social security rolls. Our lives are different in other ways as well. We have added a son-in-law, daughter-in-law and three grandsons to the family. We have also lost two family members in my dad and Barb's mom.
When I was asked to speak to the students on 9/11 it did not take me long to come up with a scripture reference. Psalm 121 has long been the touchstone for my life. "I look to the hills.. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord." The closing verse of that chapter remind me that God, "watches over my coming and my going both now and forevermore." In a changing world, God's presence is the only constant.
What is your touchstone? What scripture verse have you committed to memory so that you can lean on it in the tough times? I would encourage you to do that, if you haven't already/ Then pass it on to your children so that they might have the benefit of the same hope and security that you do. We continue to be people of hope in a world of uncertainty and change.
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