After 9/11 they kept playing the song Proud to be an American. I changed the words to Proud to be An Christian. -- In any kind of circumstance PRAY Karen Carter 74' -------------- Original message -------------- > Phil, > > Amen to those words! > > That's exactly why I have on my table a tablecloth with red, white and blue > flags on it and every year after 9/11, I put that on my big table for a few > days. > > I'm proud to be an American! I love our country! I love the flag! I Praise > God for what we have as Americans, as there are so many people in other > countries not as fortunate as we are. > > Love and Blessings, > Pat Ferguson > At 09:34 AM 9/11/04, you wrote: > >Here is what I wrote on the first anniversary. I will never forget. > > > >A year ago, I was listening to the morning news at the report of > >the first plane which crashed into tower number one. When the > >second plane crashed into the second tower, I knew then it was no > >accident and that we were under some sort of terrorist attack. I > >even told my wife that day that we could expect more planes now > >and in the future any place in the country. You can't, after all, > >read any of Tom Clancy's books or Steven Coonts without knowing > >that their are people out there that hate our way of life and will > >do anything they can to destroy what they hate. They will even > >kill themselves in the process. I can easily say I probably > >listened to at least 70 or 80 hours of TV and radio that week a > >year ago. I even awakened during the night and unable to sleep, > >got up and listened for hours to all the reports. A very good > >friend of mine flies for United. I believe it was the first plane > >that crashed into the first trade tower that was the flight out of > >Boston to Los Angeles. My friend flies that same Boston to L A > >route all the time. I finally got up the courage to call his home > >here in Denver to ask his wife if he was home or off flying that > >week. I was so relieved when she said, "He is home. Let me put > >him on the phone." He flew over 200 combat missions in jet > >fighters in Vietnam but my friend could hardly talk on the > >telephone that day he was so shaken. The first flight he was > >assigned to fly when the airlines were allowed to fly again was > >the return flight from L A into Boston. At any rate, today I > >listened to TV all day once again and all evening just about. I > >often think of my oldest son now living in New Jersey and how one > >time his company flew him to New York and he had to go to the top > >of one of the towers to teach company employees some new software. > >In fact, he had a meeting scheduled for yesterday in the city but > >the security was becoming so tight, everyone was canceling their > >meetings so he canceled his. I couldn't help think today, as I > >did a year ago, my son could have easily been in one of those > >towers. All day today something was gnawing at the back of my > >mind but I couldn't put my finger on it. Yes, I cried several > >times today listening to all the stories just like I did a year > >ago and I prayed, too, for the families who suffered such a great > >loss just as I did a year ago. As I listened to how minute by > >minute decisions were being made by our nationally elected leaders > >and by the police and fire fighters and hundreds of others, I > >suddenly said out loud, I sure am glad to be an American. That's > >what had been gnawing at me all day and when it finally came to > >me, I literally spoke it out loud before I realized it. I've > >never fought in a war or carried a weapon or ever done anything > >any more patriotic than fly an American flag outside my window. I > >can truthfully say that today, for perhaps the very first time in > >my life, I honestly felt proud to be an American. I wasn't just > >proud of all the people who helped save lives a year ago as I > >listened to the news coverage today and I wasn't just thankful > >that it happened to somebody else and not me or my family. I can > >honestly and truthfully say today, fellow Americans and the way > >they lived and died, made me proud I am one of them. People died > >in the air, on the ground, and in buildings and most died without > >even knowing why. We know why now. they didn't die because they > >were black or white or because they spoke English or Japanese or > >Spanish or French. They did not die because they were old or > >young; male or female. they didn't die because they were > >religious or atheists. They died because they were Americans. I > >believe I now have some understanding of what it really means to > >be an American and I wouldn't have it any other way. > > > >Phil. > > > > > >I Flew Kites With Jesus > >www.SafePlaceFellowship.com