This week we observe the somber anniversary of a tragic Tuesday millions of Americans will never forget. Twenty-four years ago, from her perch in New York harbor, Mother Liberty looked on in horror as she witnessed a nightmare that has forever challenged the dream for which she proudly stands.
On a cloudless September morning, without warning, twins that courageous Mother had bravely birthed collapsed at her feet. Symbols of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (and nearly three thousand who cherished those symbols) perished.
What had towered above Manhattan for decades were reduced to nothing more than a smoldering mess of rubble. And it was not just the Big Apple that was shaken to the core. Our entire nation quaked.
But that was not the only reality that characterized our country. The seismic shock of terror and the loss of innocent lives found us huddled together as Americans. In spite of the political differences that predictably divide us as a nation, we were united. Focused on a common enemy, we embraced a common vision. We looked forward in confidence not knowing how the future would play out. But we were convinced we’d survive.
Twenty-four years later, we aren’t as united as we were in the weeks that followed 9/11. As a result of our divided identity, we aren’t as confident or as patriotic either. But there is one thing that remains a constant. We have no idea what any one day will bring. As we watch the morning news, we can only image what might transpire in our lives (or in the world) by the time we go to bed.
A few days following the terrorists’ attack on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, I made a fascinating discovery while going for a morning walk in my suburban Chicago subdivision. Among my neighbor’s recycled newspapers was a copy of the New York Times for September 11. Thinking it might be a valued piece of history someday, I took it home. Looking more closely at what I’d retrieved, I wondered how the New York paper had covered our national nightmare. To my amazement, there was no mention of the tragic events of the day.
Then it dawned on me. The reason there was no mention of Ground Zero was because the paper had been printed in the early morning hours before the attacks. When the newspaper carriers delivered the paper that morning, September 11, 2001, was just another date on the calendar. The front page was punctuated by the predictable run-of-the-mill news.
The featured stories that day had to do with the never-ending conflict in the Middle East, a push for increased stem cells and the fact more people were watching television news in the morning than any time in recent history. How ironic. When that story was written, no one could have guessed how many millions of Americans would be watching the morning news the day that story appeared in print.
As I pulled out my copy of that New York Times this week, I was reminded of a timeless truth. Events happen each day that catch us by surprise. Circumstances blindside us for which we are not prepared. And what we have planned can easily be undermined.
In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, a wise Hebrew sage ponders a timeless truth and offers an insight we’d best not ignore. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Prov. 27:1)
Because we do not have any guarantee on how the events of any given day will play out, our plans must be held loosely with an eye toward flexibility. Since unanticipated circumstances park in front of our home on a daily basis, we are called to a posture of humility and dependence. Acknowledging our reliance of the One who choreographs the details of the cosmos is the best way to start every day.
Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.
