Where Were You?

September 11, 2001. December 7, 1941. May 2, 2011. February 5, May 18, October 4 & 24. December 28, 2016.

These dates and many more are days when Americans collectively ask, “Where were you?” They are dates that resonate with us as major milestones in history. They create hard memories that we don’t easily forget. Some of those memories are etched in stones, some in pictures, and some in song. All are etched in the fabric of our minds.

September 11, 2001 was 16 years ago today. It was the day of Al Qaeda’s second attack on the World Trade Center and the day they toppled three iconic buildings, killing 2,896 and injuring more than 6,000 Americans. I remember that day well. Where was I, you ask? I was driving a truck just south of Muskegon, MI.

December 7, 1941 is well known as the “Date which will live in infamy” according to FDR. Japanese fighter pilots killed 2,335 military and 68 civilians in the attack which plunged the US fully into World War II. I wasn’t born then, but those that were remember it well.

May 2, 2011 is another day that Americans mark in their minds as important to history. It was the day the US Navy SEAL team entered Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed the terrorist leader. By the time the raid was reported, over 4,700 US servicemen had been killed in campaigns associated with Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember that day well too. Where was I, you ask? I was in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The next set of dates is collectively the best days of my life – the births of my children and my wedding day. I even remember the smells and sounds of those days.

December 28, 2016 is a personal milestone in my history. That’s the day I found my dad after he passed. We had spent the last month working on my truck in his garage and I was visiting him to complete the work. Where was I, you ask?

I was the same place that day as I was when Saddam was found, when Bin Laden was killed, when the Towers fell, and today – the same place I always am - in God’s hands. On those days when I remember what I’ve lost, what it cost, and I mourn, I am in God’s hands. On those days I celebrate, the births and achievements. Every day since I was born and every day before that…

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.” (John 17:6, NIV)