Remembering 9/11

Fifteen years ago today the United States of America suffered an attack on its own very own soil the ramifications of which we still feel today.  For those of us who are old enough to remember this event I doubt we will ever forget how we felt that day.  For me my feelings were a mixture of shock, fear, and gratitude.

Shock:  How could this possibly happen in US Soil?  Since becoming a nation we had never been attacked by a foreign country.

Fear:  Could this happen again?  When?  Where?  Two weeks later I would be sending my oldest son to a foreign country to serve as a missionary.  Would he be safe?

Gratitude:  For a period of time as a nation we were as one.  We united in ways as I had never personally witness before.  There was a great sense of patriotism that I had never seen before. Everyone treated each other with greater kindness.  We prayed for those who had lost loved ones in this horrible attack.  We prayed for those who worked around the clock searching for survivors.  We found new heroes in the emergency personnel who gave so much and sacrificed in ways I could never imagine.

On October 2, 2001 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints held its semi-annual general conference.  On that very day the United States launched it's first attack in response to the attack on 9/11.  During the conference Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of the Church said this:

 "I have just been handed a note that says that a U.S. missile attack is under way. I need not remind you that we live in perilous times. I desire to speak concerning these times and our circumstances as members of this Church.

Members of the Church in this and other nations are now involved with many others in a great international undertaking. On television we see those of the military leaving their loved ones, knowing not whether they will return. It is affecting the homes of our people. Unitedly, as a Church, we must get on our knees and invoke the powers of the Almighty in behalf of those who will carry the burdens of this campaign.

No one knows how long it will last. No one knows precisely where it will be fought. No one knows what it may entail before it is over. We have launched an undertaking the size and nature of which we cannot see at this time."

Now fifteen years later it appears that we are still waging the same battle.  Acts of terrorism have increased.  These acts not only have branched into other parts of the world but we have experienced acts perpetuated on Americans by Americans.  We truly live in perilous times that seem to become more perilous each and every day.

During that same talk in General Conference, President Hinckley gave some great advice.  He said:

"Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day.

We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do."

The economy was very fragile post 9/11.  The economy since then has been on a roller coaster with many more downs than ups.  President Hinckley's advice in 2001 is just as valid, if not more so, today.  Getting out of debt and having something set aside for a rainy day is something that would benefit each of us.

I recommend watching or reading the entirety of President Hinckley's talk by clicking here: 
Gordon B Hinckley Conference talk October 2001

May each of us find peace in our lives, homes, and families during the perilous times we find in our lives.

Submitted by:  James Tanner