“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust”. Ps. 91:1-2.

Imagine being on a plane in September 2001. You are terrified, afraid and wonder if you are going to make it to the landing. The only thing that keeps you from losing your mind is your faith in the Lord Jesus. You remember words and verses like :“Absent from the body is present with the Lord“; God is able and we put everything in his hands, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty”; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the times of trouble”. These words become like food to you. You chew and chew upon them for the entire flight literally holding on to Jesus. My friends, this was my experience 20 years ago. You see I had just been through the life changing experience of 9/11 and was terrified to fly. Let me tell you my story from the beginning.

I had just completed study leave for successfully pursing my Masters degree. I was granted 10 days recreation leave after which I would assume duties in a new position, at a new location. Talk about transition. Therefore, in preparation for this new work adventure I booked a flight and flew out on this Tuesday morning, 4th September 2001 to Miami airport. As a seasoned traveler, I planned my route. On arriving at Miami, I had a layover for 5 hours so I left the airport and visited three of my aunts and their families even eating out of their pots. Later I boarded an American Airlines flight to Ronald Regan airport in Virginia. The flight went well and my sister and I reunited. By the weekend I was in New York with my sister and my cousin visiting my Mom. As we were leaving New York on the Sunday back to DC, I remember distinctly quarrelling with my sister that I have never been to the Twin Towers and other tourist attractions and couldn’t we stay another couple of days to see them. My sister said this would not be possible this trip as she had special assignments at work to complete and the matter was laid to rest. On Tuesday morning September 11, 2001, I went to work with my sister in DC around 8:15am. Her office was located in the basement and while there was a television on, the reception and sound were very poor. Sometime later, I was using instant messenger to talk with a friend in Jamaica when suddenly he told me about the planes crashing into both Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Mi turn fool. I could not process what he was saying. We tried to watch the television but the reception was not clear. Shortly after they sent us home and not realizing the enormity of the situation we went shopping for food. I clearly remember the parking lot was empty and we had our choice of where to park. The place was deserted and so we got through quickly and decided to go home.

Friends on reaching home, we turned on the television and then we started to have a full understanding of what was happening in New York. We saw people jumping through windows, coming down on blocks of buildings. We saw the replay of the incidents over and over again. It was such a traumatic experience for me. I was devastated. I remembered how I was quarrelling to go on those towers only two days earlier and would have probably been on the buildings had my sister complied. The trauma was so great I had write 13 poems in order to get some sleep that night. In addition, what made it worse was I took one of those flights the previous Tuesday and had to take a flight on the Friday of the same week. Communication channels were shut down so we were unable to call my Mom in Manhattan, my Daddy, my boyfriend and other family members in Jamaica to tell them we were okay and to find if they were okay as well. I saw and heard fighter jets overhead and realized that we were in a war zone. All the books, comics and war movies about bombings came right back and added to my fear and fright.

Immediately I wanted to come back home but I did not want to fly in a plane or take any connecting flight. However, I had to leave the US as I was starting a new job the following Monday. I was scheduled to leave on a connecting flight on Friday. I started calling the airlines seeking to change to a direct flight. I remember holding the lines for hours on end trying to reach an agent. When I went to the airport on the Friday, security arrangements were beginning to change given the situation of 9/11 and the pressure came to bear down on us passengers. Chaos reigned at the airport and it took me three days to finally get a flight out on Sunday. Sitting on that flight I felt the trepidation I described earlier. There was an old man who sat beside me who said to me: Don’t worry my dear, God will take care of us. God rest his soul. His words redirected me to my faith. I was never so glad to see my native soil in my entire life.

I learnt many lessons from this 9/11 experience, here are some of them. Firstly, trust God in Jesus as he orders our steps and stops. He kept me. Secondly, learn to celebrate each moment, each friend, each family member. Thirdly, cherish life, I was spared by God for a reason. I was given a second chance at life, to live, love, marry and have children. Fourthly, offer divine comfort to those experiencing loss and grief. Finally live life on purpose for the rest of our days until our work here on earth is done.

Prayer: Father, I pray for those persons who are experiencing loss and grief over and over again. Let your comfort, grace and mercy flow over them and restore their souls so they can live out your purpose for their lives. Wipe away all tears from their eyes. Thank you for giving me a second chance of life. We look to you Alpha and Omega the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus name . Amen.