Many first responders were not on duty when the tragedy struck, but they answered a call from within... For them, rushing to the rescue was more than a job. It was a mission. And fulfilling that mission meant putting others’ needs above their own. Many accounts from 9/11 have inspired us to be better, but none more than the true stories of those who willingly chose to raise us up by the sacrifice of their safety and, for too many, their lives.
Jane Clayson Johnson, reporting on Church News for The Tabernacle Choir's special" 9/11, Coming Together", September 11, 2021
Everyone remembers, most of us anyway who weren't too young, where we were when the attacks to the twin towers and the Pentagon and flight 93 unfolded live as we witnessed, as we watched. This was a traumatic event that changed our lives...not just the lives of Americans but the lives of people all over the world. It changed the way we do things, from flying to the way we came together as a people, as children of Heavenly Father.
I can't believe it's been 20 years now.
It's in our nature as children of God to care about and love others. It's in our spiritual DNA. When lives were on the line, that nature was shown by sooo many. I often wonder how I would've reacted to such events. I like to think I would put the welfare and lives of others above my own. It is inherent in me as a son of God but I never have been put in a situation like that.
We are commanded to love our neighbors, as we know, and no greater showing of that love is expressed than to sacrifice our own welfare, even our own lives, for another child of Heavenly Father. That's why I salute and respect and honor and love those who willingly sacrifice and have sacrificed for me and those I love, putting themselves in harm's way... for me. I am eternally grateful for them.