The Rector's Ramblings...September 10, 2009

This morning I found myself listening to a Country Western song by Darryl Worley that was called, "Have You Forgotten?"  The chorus contained the words, "Have you forgotten how it felt that day to see your homeland under fire and her people blown away?  Have you forgotten when those towers fell..."  I know these are difficult words to hear but with the eighth anniversary of 9/11 falling on tomorrow I believe they are appropriate to remind us of an event that we must not forget.   It was an event that truly changed the way we live our lives and one where most of us can remember where we were when we first heard the news of the planes hitting the towers of the World Trade Center.

While all States have been affected by the events of that day, our own State of North Carolina has seen a large number of men and women in our armed forces sent into Harm's Way to defend the freedoms that we hold so dear.  This includes Marines and Sailors from Camp Lejeune, Soldiers from Fort Bragg, Air Force Members from Pope and Seymour Johnson, and members of the North Carolina National Guard, just to name a few.  We even have members of our own Parish deployed at this time.

With this in mind, I am asking each of you to take a moment tomorrow to pray for our Country and for those in our military so far from home, and for their families who watch and wait.  If you have your prayer book at home, you can use the prayer on top of page 823, "For those in the Armed Forces of our Country."   Let us surround our country with prayer and let us never forget those who willingly pay the ultimate price for freedom.