Lilia’s Blog

Some events in life are seared into memory. The September 11, 2001, attack is one of those events. On that beautiful Tuesday morning, I was awakened by the sound of my 14 month old who was eagar to start his day. Groggily, I got out of bed, plucked him from his crib and made my way down the hall to the family room where we settled on the couch. I turned on the television in search of the PBS channel for the Teletubbies or the Wiggles. The TV was set to the NBC channel from the night before. The Today Show was on and I noticed something unusual. The voices of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer with a shot of a burning building on the screen. Still bleary eyed, I tried to understand what was happening - Couric reported that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center and it was unclear whether it was an accident or an act of terror.  I continued to watch the live report and watched as the second plane struck the second tower. Gasps were heard and stunned reporters continued reporting to stunned viewers.  As the morning wore on, we would learn of the attack on the Pentagon and the plane that crashed into a field  in Pennsylvania.

Like many, I remained glued to the TV in the days and weeks that followed. As a nation, we mourned the loss of the more than 3000 people who died that day and dealt with the new sense of vulnerability and fear that blanketed the nation. Above those emotions, however, came a sense of unity and hope in the knowledge that we would move forward as a stronger nation. It has been eight years since that day, but the memory is not forgotten.

In that same year, a few days before Thanksgiving Day, I thought about what prayer we would make at the dinner table. As I reflected on the events of that September, I was inspired to write a prayer in remembrance of 9/11. The prayer poem was read aloud by all at our dinner table that Thanksgiving Day and every Thanksgiving Day thereafter, as a reminder that we need faith to keep us strong.

Thanksgiving Prayer Poem 2001

by Lilia Fallgatter

We join our hands and hearts together

Giving thanks to you Oh Lord

For our lives so filled with blessings

By your loving hands bestowed

When we look at things around us

We see the beauty of your love

From the earth’s most tiny creatures

To the shining stars above

As we celebrate the good things

Family, friends and food to eat

Let our thoughts not leave the many

Who are not so fortunate

Give us strength and give us guidance

Help us also understand

That from tragedies and evil

Every human soul expands

We give you thanks and count our blessings

Both today and through the year

For we know that with our faith in you

There is nothing we need fear.

Amen

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Tags: Life, Poem, Prayer //