September 11th

Today was the fourth anniversary of the September 11th attacks on New York City World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but, it can safely be said, I didn't really think about it until now (9:40 PM). Had I been thinking of tragedies, I would have been focused on my relations down in Mississippi and Louisiana today.

Rather than dwell on such things, I spent most of it with my wife's family, at Champoeg State Park. With such profound normalcy, on such a beautiful late summer day, it seemed a shame to give much thought to such things; it just didn't seem to be the right time. Rather, I B.S.'ed with my father-in-law about Web servers, ate KFC and blueberry pie and let the girls chase me around the park. That doesn't mean that I can't take time out now, to say a prayer for those still suffering from the terror attacks four years ago, or those currently displaced by the power of a hurricane.

In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, we are told that "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." God gives us each minute of our life. We have to decide how best to use it. Today certainly is a day to remember. For some of us, today could be used to mourn, if that's appropriate. Today is also a day to celebrate what we have, to enjoy our families, the start of the NFL season, bulb planting or whatever God has put in our hearts.