Month: September 2021

What Are the Odds?

September 28, 2021Blog, Inspiration, , , 1 Comment

I have been to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and our local Pechanga Resort Casino, but have never considered the liklihood of my winning big to be motivation enough for me to actually play the odds at any machine or table. I’m a square, I guess, I’ve never even purchased a lottery ticket either. Not like my brother-in-law who is a VIP winner or my sister who generally does pretty good. Guess it’s not in my DNA.

And on that topic of DNA, have you ever seriously considered the actual odds of you being born? Let’s talk about odds.

coconut falling from tree

What are the odds of you being struck dead by a falling coconut? Consider – that hard ole shell of a fruit is about 3 pounds, and falling from say a 35 foot tree. That means it will reach a speed of 49 mph in it’s descent. When it hits you, it is carrying a metric ton of force – that means you will die on the spot. They do kill 150 people worldwide in a year according to a 2002 study.

The odds: 1 in 250 million

4 leaf clover

How ’bout your odds of finding a 4 leaf clover, or even that rare 5 leaf clover?

The odds: 4 leaf = 1 in 10,000; 5 leaf = 1 in 1,000,000

that 1 struck by lightening

What are the odds of you being struck by lightening?

Odds: 1 in 500,000

All of these demonstrate crazy odds of happening and yet they happen. Yes, rarely, but they do happen and we have the statistics (and photos) to support them.

Well, back to that DNA related question we asked earlier.

What are the odds of you being born?

Here are the things that must be considered in order to calculate those odds.

  1. The probability of your parents meeting – we could spend time here with hypotheticals, but we know our own parents’ stories. So I will just give you the numbers according to the mathematicians. The odds : 1 in 20,000
  2. Then, the chances that they developed some type of relationship, enough for offspring to result. The odds: 1 in 2,000
  3. Next, 1 egg and 1 sperm getting together. A woman possesses 100,000 viable eggs and a man 12 trillion sperm. Considering only childbearing years that makes The odds: 1 in 400 quadtrillion
  4. But we are not done yet. All of your ancestors had to live long enough to reproduce through the generations. That means, accroding to scientists through 150,000 generations!
  5. Each of your ancestors had to be exactly who they were (through the exact same odds making gauntlet) in order to provide the DNA for you to be you. The right sperm and egg meeting for 150,000 generations of reproduction – that means one in 400 quadtrillion times 150,000 generations. The odds: 10 with 2,640,000 zeros!

Now, my precious reader, the odds of all of those steps happening, and you being born are

The odds: 1 in 400 trillion.

Dr. Ali Binazir describes it this way:

“Imagine a city of 2.5 million people (San Diego for example) getting together and each of them rolling a trillion sided dice, and all rolling the same, exact number – say 555,343,279,001!”

Dr. Ali Binzazir – Huffpost.com

Talk about the odds! Whaaaat? How could that be even fathonable?!

Let’s bring it back to you, now. The odds of you being born are what we are talking about. You.

Talk about overcoming the odds. Talk about destiny. Talk about purpose. Talk about value.

You were not an accident. You were an on purpose. Now be encouraged to find and live out that purpose.

You’ve already overcome the worst odds.

Cheers to you,

Debbie

The Adam’s Family

September 25, 2021Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons Leave a comment

Sunday Sermon 9.25.21

Family is our topic today, so let’s start off differently, shall we? Play along with me…test your knowledge of some of the top 20 TV families. What’s the TV show called?

  1. # 20 – A cartoon family about the Griffins.
  2. # 19 – This real life family is of mom, dad and their 8 kids.
  3. # 12 – The Bundy’s sought to bring humor to married life.
  4. # 10 – Yet another cartoon family, this time with a snarky protagonist.
  5. # 8 – A rich family raising a nephew.
  6. #5 – Who didn’t love these adorable twins?
  7. # 2 – This became one of the first blended famillies on TV.
  8. #1 – The Arnold’s showed us a slice of down home wonder in a young boys family and life.

If you want to see how you did, scroll on down to the bottom where I’ve listed these TV shows.

There is another family, (of course, many other families) portrayed on TV that I want to mention – The Addam’s Family. Do you remember it? It was a TV series from 1964-1966, then again in 1973, and 1992-1993. This family was based on a fictional household created by American cartoonist – Charles Addams in 1938.

It’s members were Gomez and Morticia, famously in love, bizzar and even frightening to their neighbors. Their kids were Wednesday and Pugsley, and then there were the close family members, Uncle Fester and Grandmama. Let’s not forget the butler, Lurch, or Thing (that disembodied hand), cousin Itt, or the pets – Aristotle (octopus) and Kitty Kat (the lion).

Of this famed family, it is said, “Their influence on society ranks with that of the Kennedy’s and Roosevelts”. (Glamour Magazine)

“Their house (on Cemetery Ridge) was a wreck, but they were a close-knit, extended family. Supportive, friendly and hospitable to visitors.”

Accept that description or not, it is a remarkable statement. Stellar in fact, if you ask me.

Family is meant to influence society! Family is the basic buiding block of society. Family is the single, most powerful tool to build a strong, thriving cuture, and civilization.

Family. Familia. Jiating. Gajog. Familie. Famille. Sem’ya. Usra.

In every language, culture, and nation, the family is needed. Vital. Required. Wanted. Essential.

Let me emphatically add, that your family is essential, just as it is, with it’s personalities, and characters. Your family does not and will not follow the paths of the dynasties –

  • The Barrymore’s – Hollywood movies
  • Ford’s – automotive world
  • Mellon’s – banks & steel
  • Manning’s – football
  • Koch – business
  • Lauren – retail
  • Murdoch – media
  • Rockefeller – banking
  • Kennedy – politics
  • Walton’s – superstores

But the influence of your family, on society is JUST AS IMPORTANT as theirs.

Families come is all shapes and sizes, we recognize that. And so does God.

In fact, the Hebrew word that is translated by NIV and other translations as “family”, really means – “a circle of relatives; family; a tribe of people.” The word is “mish-paw-khaw” in Hebrew.

That means a family, is a circle of relatives, a tribe of people who surround each other.

For many, that will be a biological family relation of some sort. For others, that tribe surrounding you is not biolofical but perhaps spiritual or emotional relationships. None the less, these are a circle of people who have your back and you theirs. They are family.

All of us have times in our life that we scrutinize our family relations. We may even question our place in the family or the value of it or possibly even our own value. This is part of life. Part of maturity and growth. Look at these guys who did just that:

Gideon said to God, “Pardon me Lord, how can I… my clan is the weakest and I am the least in my family…” Judges 6:15

Saul too, questioned his family, his clan, his circle – “… is not my clan the least of all the clans?” 1 Samuel 9:21

Could you insert your name there, for Gideon’s or Saul’s? Or do you identify more closely with The Addam’s family, The Brady Bunch, The Kennedy’s, The Ingalls, or the Kardashians?

It has always been God’s plan to use your family to shape you. And that it has. No family is exempt. Weakest clan or strongest/most famous clan, God’s purpose is to use it to shape you into who He has designed you to be. Using the good, the bad, and the ugly in our clan, it develops in us the person and personality we allow. Our responses to those rubbings within the family clan, provide for us choices. Opportunities.

Hang with me here –

That “mish-paw-khaw” word for circle of relatives, family comes from another Hebrew word that means:

” to abrade, to stick out.” It literally means, to scrape or wear away by friction or erosion. To irritate or roughen by rubbing. It is the root from which we get our word abrasion.

Strongs concordance H 8192

Dear reader – doesn’t that sound exactly like your family? My famly? All families?

That circle of relatives who rub us the wrong way, irritate us and cause friction, who have bruised and scraped us raw…. Yeppers! That’s family. The ones who God uses to shape us, and rub off the rough edges of our personality and erode away those things that stick out from us that don’t belong. That is family. And that is what God designed families to do. (In addition to alot of other things…)

God placed each of us into our family of origin. We had no choice. But we do have choices now and how we choose to respond to the rubbing and abrasions of family will make or break us.

But more importantly, our family (and responses to it,) is what makes the backbone of our society. No pressure there, right? But it is true. Our families are meant to display the love of God, grace and mercy of God to the world.

God has chosen families from Adam’s family to yours to reveal His purposes and plans. Let Him rub, and refine you in your family setting and let His light shine through you and reflect off of you and your circle of relatives.

Our society needs Godly Adam’s families.

Cheers to you,

Debbie

TV Family quiz-

  • 20- Family Guy
  • 19- The Gosselins
  • 12- Married with Children
  • 10- Simpsons
  • 8- Fresh Prince
  • 5- Full House
  • 2- Brady Bunch
  • 1- Wonder Years

Feeling Trashed?

September 20, 2021Blog, Encouragement, , Leave a comment

“Trashed” – not a pretty word. It carries all sorts of meanings, I know. But, let’s just take it at face value, shall we? When something is trash, it is used up, worn out, maybe even broken, old, and just plain done with. Right?

Well, it is my sense that those descriptors just may fit you or someone you know.

Allow me to expand that list:

  • stressed
  • in distress
  • squeezed
  • can’t seem to focus
  • helpless
  • hurting
  • enduring
  • in the dark
  • chaos
  • forgotten

You see, I know of a man, who’s life, I actually took each of these descriptions from. He used each of them to paint for us his feelings of being trashed. Check out one of his quotes,

” I am totally forgotten… discarded like a broken dish thrown in the trash.”

From his poems – chapter 31

Seriously, this guy was in bad shape. Every single description in the above bulleted list, comes from his poem book. He is totally trashed! He was squeezed beyond measure, hurting deeply and seeing chaos all around him.

His enemies were actually chasing him in hot pursuit to kill him. Physically kill him. This is not metaphor.

This guy understood being trashed on every level. He knew being squeezed, emptied, worn out, broken, used up and spent. He lived ups and downs, highs and lows, depression and ecstasy.

He had visions of where he wanted to be, what he wanted to be doing and the life he was currently in was NOT it. His dreams were dashed, his desires dried up and his drive destroyed.

So, if you, or that one you know is feeling trashed, you are not alone and not the first, unfortunately.

C’mon, at some level and for some duration all of us have been in the dumps – been trashed, haven’t we? Of course, we have.

So let me use his words, to encourage us all:

“Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep waiting – for he will never disappoint you!”

Psalm 27:14 TPT

Such good advice to us:

  • don’t give up
  • don’t be impatient
  • be entwined with the Lord
  • be brave
  • be courageous
  • never lose hope
  • keep waiting
  • He (the Lord) will never disapoint you

OKAY! I needed that. Such wisdom and insight, from someone who knows exactly what it feels like to be trashed. Thanks, David. (well before he was King David)

Cheers to you,

Debbie

There’s A Waterfall in My Kitchen

September 18, 2021Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, , 1 Comment

Sunday Sermon 9.18.21

In my view, there’s probably nothing more calming and soothing than the sounds of a river babbling through it’s bed or a gentle waterfall over the smooth rocks. With it comes a deep sense of tranquilility, clarity, purity, refreshment and power.

It was during the Feast of Tabernacles (which, by the way, is approaching Sept. 21-27), that Jesus stood and spoke:

“On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit…”

John 7:37-39a NIV

Imagine a rustling, babbling river flowing through you, through you and the riverbed of your life, over every rock embedded in your personality. Imagine it’s tranquility, clarity, purity, refreshment and power.

THAT my friend, is the Holy Spirit flowing through you. And that, dear one, is what Jesus promised to those guys back then, and to you and me today. Rivers of living water flowing through those that believe.

So we must ask ourselves, is that river flowing in and through us? Is that waterfall of the Spirit, overflowing and toppling down, over the boulders, bushes, birds of the air?

Chances are the flowing is a mere trickle. Or worst-yet, a dry riverbed, lacking even the slightest bit of moisture. My new hero of the faith says this –

“Dear brethren, our eyes are dry, because our hearts are dry.”

Leonard Ravenhill – “Why Revival Tarries”

Are our hearts dry or is there a river of life flowing through it?

The Lord used this event and picture in my life this week to teach me a thing or two about this flowing river from within us.

I had determined to go for a walk with my husband yesterday and when we returned, I was going to clean the house. You know, mop, vacuum, dust, etc., etc. So we went for our walk and had a wonderful time outdoors, together.

When we returned home, I opened the door to the sound of a waterfall in my kitchen. Now mind you, we have no water fountain or any such water feature in our home, much less in the kitchen.

When I rounded the corner to the kitchen, this is what I saw…

Overflowing from the filled sinks was filthy, black water! It was flowing from the sinks, over the kitchen counter, down the cabinet wall, into the dining room and all over the kitchen floor. Under the cupboard was a collection of water, and the pipes were shooting this disgusting water from the lines.

And the SMELL. WAS. DISGUSTING!

I wish there was an APP for smelling, luckily for you tho’, you can use your eyes instead.

disgusting, black, sticky and smally sludge

Short story now, the tenant above us was having plumbing work done, this we knew. We had previously had no blockage problems (last November we had a plumber out to clear the lines), so we thought we were good. Until we got home that is. Another plumber came out, cleared the line and we were left to clean up the mess. After 4 hours, we were on the road to “back to normal”.

But here’s the lesson I feel the Lord had for me in this.

“You Debbie, were content to clean the visible part of the house, but I am wanting to clean what is unseen. I am wanting to unclog the lines between us, unblock the emotions between us, clean up the stinch of lies that have polluted your image of how I see you, and open you up to the clean, refreshing, tranquil, pure and powerful flow of the living water of the Holy Spirit through you.“

WOW! WOW! WOW! I was undone.

You see, the Lord has been working on me, challenging me to allow Him to walk with me through past experiences that have shut me down, distorted my image of the Father, and misshapen my stand as His beloved daughter. So when this picture played out yesteday in my life, it was powerful.

The stinch, the blockage, the sight of unclean water all were used to help me see what He was doing in my life. What He was doing to clean not just the outside but clean the inside of my life, because from me (and YOU) is to flow rivers of living water!

Refreshing, calming, life-giving, powerful, rushing pure rivers of the Holy Spirit flowing through me. But first, I gotta get unclogged, unstopped, roto-rootered… I gotta allow Him to clean me up to feel, sense, think and act like Him. So all that smelly, grungy, flesh-life has got to go.

We could mention hundreds of bible verses here, but I won’t. I will offer this one that has been so magnified in my mind and prayers these past weeks,

“Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart.”

Psalm 5:3 TPT

You see, I am surrendering every area of my life to Him, afresh. Allowing Him to examine, reveal and walk me through the healing that is needed so that my heart will be passionately on fire for Him and clean, refreshing and powerful rivers of living water of the Spirit will flow through and from me.

It took a waterfall in my kitchen to speak powerfully to me and I hope that through it, He has spoken to you too.

Flow through us in purity, Holy Spirit. Unstop and unclog us. We yield to you.

Debbie

Your amazing

September 13, 2021Blog, Encouragement, , Leave a comment

Heart

Pick a song with heart in the title. Go ahead, think of one.

Did you pick one of these top 5 or from another genre?

  • My Heart Will Go On
  • This is How a Heart Breaks
  • Un-break My Heart
  • Heartbreaker
  • Cold, Cold Heart

We sing about the heart often, don’t we? And we even have tons of phrases and idioms about the heart, like:

  • a big heart
  • all heart
  • eat your heart out
  • heavy heart
  • lose heart
  • out of the goodness of your heart
  • with all your heart
  • take heart

But do we think about the heart very often? Seriously? What consideration do we give to that organ so critical to our survival? Well, today, I’d like to change that.

Let’s consider your amazing heart –

Your heart, that one pound, fist-sized muscle that sits toward the center of your chest, that pumps blood through your body, bringing fresh, new oxygenated blood to each organ, while removing waste products and keeping them away from your tissues.

It is the work horse of your body, beating 100,00-115,000 times a day, circulating 2,000 gallons of blood every day, through a network of over 60,000 miles of stretched out blood vessels. (That’s enough for 2 times around the world!)

Think about what it does everyday within your chest, and most likely without you even being aware.

Your heart’s main function is to keep blood full of Oxygen and circulating through your body. It pumps blood through a system of blood vessels and that’s called circulating. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to the entire body. Blood of course, is essential for life.

The heart carries fresh blood, filled with Oxygen, from the lungs and keeps wastes like CO2 away from our tissues. Arteries are the highways that carry the blood away from the heart. Veins take the blood back to the heart for their dose of Oxygen and waste removal. The capillaries are small, thin blood vessels that connect arteries and veins and it is through the capillary walls that the wastes leave.

I NEVER think about this stuff. (Unless I have a lesson to teach on it) Do you? The heart just does it’s job, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub. It just keeps on ticking…

That heart beat itself is triggered electrically! There are specialized cells called the SA node (sinoatrial node), that actually generates an electrical stimulus, 60-100 times a minute. Then there’s another set of cells that coordinate the speed of the signal, by slowing it down, so that the blood gets ejected from the atria to the ventricles before the ventricles contract. Otherwise, you’ve got big problems.

Then there are those ventricles and atrim. You remember them from Biology, right? The four chambers on the inside of your heart…

The four chambers of your heart are hallow and divided by a wall called the septum. The top two chambers are the atria, and the botom chambers the ventricles. Connecting each of the four chambers, are four, one-way valves, whose job it is to keep the blood from flowing in the wrong direction. Each valve has two or three leaflets or cusps.

Blood enters the right side of your heart and empties Oxygen poor blood into the right atrium. The atrium contracts, the ventricle fills, contracts and blood leaves through the pulmonary valve. It is Oxygenated and returned to the left atrium.

On the left side, the pulmonary veins empty Oxygen rich blood from the lungs into the left atrium. The atrium contracts, blood flows to the left ventricle, then contracts causing the blood to leave the heart through the aortic valve to the body.

In the lungs, in those tiny air sacs, Oxygen travels through the walls of the capillaries into the bloodstream. And, CO2 leaves the body when you exhale! Whew…

Again, all this happens without so much of an intentional thought about what miracle is occuring within our chest.

Although blood circulates beautifully through the heart receiving Oxygen and ridding itself of wastes, the health of the organ itself is maintained by specialized arteries on the right and left outsides of the heart. They are called coronary arteries.

These arteries become diseased when plaque builds up in them and prevents the heart from getting what it needs. This is called Coronary Artery Disease, CAD. My father passed away due to this, with a 96% blockage in his artery. I can still remember the nurse showing me the image of the blockage!

This is why, for the health of our heart, we are encouraged to exercise, eat a well balanced diet and avoid damaging causes (like smoking).

So, whether we are talking about the smallest of all hearts, as found in the Fairy fly, or the largest, as found in the whale, the heart is amazing!

Whether it is pumping in a person’s chest, or has been disconnected from the body, and is still beating, the heart is amazing.

It’s design, function and efficiency is amazing.

Whether the heart of that 1 minute old baby, the youngest to undergo heart surgery, or in the 3,500 year old Egyptian mummy, the earliest to be identified with heart disease, the heart is amazing.

To know CPR and be able to bring back “to life” a heartbeat, is amazing! (We all should know CPR, in my opinion)

So, my friend, I know your heart is in the right place, and I pray, that out of the goodness of your heart you will take heart, and with all of your heart be grateful for your amazing heart.

Bless your (amazing) heart!

Debbie

Binge-watching

September 11, 2021Blog, Encouragement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, Leave a comment

Sunday Sermon 9.11.21

In 2015 the Collins English Dictionary chose “binge-watch” as the word of the year. Wow!

According to research, “this is an observable cultural phenomenon that has become popular”. 61% of Netflix peeps say that they binge-watch regularily. Are you one of them? (No judgements here, jus’ wondering…)

I believe there are lessons to be learned from observing and evaluating cutural trends and happenings. So, what about binge-watching?

Well, let’s look at it… in it, (binge-watching), we are not just watching but over watching or marathon watching. In other words, there is an over emphasis on what we watch and are watching. What types of things do we watch?

  • We watch:
  • TV shows
  • Youtube videos
  • movies
  • our weight
  • sporting events
  • children
  • people

Could we say that there is an “overwatching” of these things? An overemphasis on some or all of them? I agree that the prolonged watching of these is a cultural phenomenon. But I also believe that there just may be a spiritual reason behind the why? (or maybe, more that one reason) Here’s why.

It is clear that we are living in days that we must be on watch, and aware of what is going on around us. There is a call in our spirits to be watchful, aware, on guard and awake. The verses from the Bible, both Old and New Testaments are being trumpeted, “WATCH and PRAY”.

  • Mat, 26:41 – Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation
  • Lk. 21:34-36 – Be careful or your heart will be weighed down…be always on the watch and pray
  • Mk. 13:37 – Be on guard, be alert…therefore keep watch…
  • Eph. 6:18 – praying always with all prayer… being watchful
  • 1 Thes. 5:6-8 – let us watch and be sober
  • Rev. 3:2-3 – be watchful and strengthen the things that remain
  • Rev. 16:15 – blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments
  • 2 Ki. 9:17 – keep watch and warn the townspeople
  • Ezek. 33 & Hos. 9 – watchmen be on guard and warn God’s people

Could it be that the Call of the Spirit to believers, to watch and pray in these days is being inverted by the enemy? Could the rise in binge-watching, and even its declaration of or designation as “word of the year”, be a perversion of the Call of the Spirit to watch and pray?

Could the enemy be terrified of believers who would actually hear that call to watch and pray, and rather set a plan in motion to distract them by any means possible, including his counterfeit – binge-watching?

Would you agree that since 2015 the need to watch and pray has increased exponentially? I think that the enemy knows his end is eminent and has unleashed every lie, plot and strategy to delay his demise. Folks, it is time to watch and pray.

How do you watch and pray, Debbie? What do you mean?

Think of the two words:

  1. WATCH – open your eyes, look around, notice things close and far, notice the visible and be alert to the invisible/spiritual. Look up, turn on the light, and keep looking closely in the dark.
  2. PRAY – offer prayers of all kinds to God

All of us can do this. It is not difficult, but it is costly. It costs our time, energy, and interest.

With all that there is to observe today in our world, in our life, watching should be easy. But our interest must be there, because to pray to God takes more than our interest. We don’t need any special qualifications, we just need to do it. Offer prayers, plural, to God on behalf of what we are seeing, what we have observed, what we are watching.

When we do that, we are acknowledging that we see what’s happening and are powerless to do anything about it, our God is not, however. Therefore, we offer it to Him for His help. We pray to Him. The self-righteous person won’t do that though, for he thinks that he “can handle it.”

When we choose to watch and pray, we are admitting that we can’t handle it but we know who can and we willingly ask for His help in that needy situation.

Whatever you are watching happen in your life right now, I am asking you to pray about it. I don’t care what it is. If you have watched it happen or are watching it happen, please pray. Lift your heart and prayer to God. Yield to His way and power. I promise you will experience a tremendous lifting and peace.

If you can see it (physically or spiritually), you can pray about it. YOU can.

That place we have just described is the starting point of prayer for all of us. Keep awake, watch, notice and then pray about it.

But for some of you, there is more.

You are called to be a watchman! A person who’s job it is to stand guard on the wall of your family, or city, or church or nation and sound the alarm when you see enemy invaders coming. When you see these invaders you move into intercession – deep and passionate prayer for that one, city, church or national situation. You, the watchman, challenge wrong laws, morality, and teaching through prayer and strategic intervention. You watch and pray, but you are a watchman.

With three short blasts, the watchman calls for his supervisors to come and he reports what he has seen to them. Oh watchmen, will you blow your trumpet, and sound the alarm, and signal for the hosts of heaven to come and bring aid?

Today, from their stations, the Israeli Defense Forces guard the local residents of the villages against unwanted attack. They are the “shomer” (Hebrew) security guard; the same Hebrew word used in Psalm 121, when it speaks of Jehovah, the One that watches over us.

God is watching over us, but He is looking for those who will “stand in the gap” and pray when they see invaders. Ezk.22:3

My new favorite hero, Leonard Ravenhill said, “No man is greater than his prayer life.” Folks, your prayers don’t have to be pretty or flowery – geesh, have you read the prayers of the Bible? But your prayers do have to be authentic, intentional and directed to God.

Where can you improve and increase your prayer life?

I believe the word of the day spiritually is – WATCH (and pray), (three words, I know). Don’t let the devil’s counterfeit distract you – you are made for more than binge-watching.

Go with God,

Debbie

PS- Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be accused of over binge-watching and praying?! Ha!

Patriot’s Day

September 9, 2021Blog, The History Files, , 1 Comment

The History Files

Twenty years ago, America was a different nation, not just because George Bush was president or Tony Blair UK’s Prime Minister. We traveled freely without security checks, walked people to their gates at airports as they departed, and greeted them at their gates as they arrived. Tickets and photo ID’s weren’t required for entry to the gates, laptops weren’t checked, liquids weren’t restricted nor metal dectors used to screen passengers.

We did not live in a surveillance state, calls were’t hacked nor written communications filtered. There was no such thing as the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), or The Patriot Act. There was no war in Afghanistan or heated tensions in the Middle East. Things were different in America.

What changed things so drastically? September 11, 2001 did.

On that beautiful, clear, and sunny Tuesday, the unthinkable was about to happen to America.

September 11, 2001 was the day that nineteen terrorists of Al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and used them as guided missles in their plot against America. Two airplanes were flown into the Twin Towers in NYC, one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and one crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania.

At 8:45 AM EST, a Boeing 767, with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel, crashed into the North tower at the 80th floor, creating a hole to the 110th floor.

Most watched in horror as they considered this unbelievable accident that must have just happened, for a plane to veer off course and mistakenly hit this tall landmark in Manhattan.

Eighteen minutes later, the South tower was hit at the 60th floor. It was now clear, that this was NOT an accident.

America was under attack.

WTC site after collapse

At 9:45 AM EST, the Pentagon was hit on the West side. While this was burning, fifteen minutes later the South tower of World Trade Center collapsed due to the heat of the jet fuel.

The Pentagon attack

At 10:30 AM, the North tower fell. Only six in the towers at the time of their collapse lived.

In flight at this time was the fourth plane, which was hijacked after leaving New Jersey bound for San Francisco. Because of it’s later take off delays, passengers aboard Flight 93 were receiving calls and texts from loved ones telling them what was going on. Although on board, they were told that their flight had turned around and was returning to the airport, passengers knew differently.

So they planned to overthrow the hijackers. It is believed they stormed the cockpit in an effort to abort the evil attack that had been planned for this guided missle. As they did, the plane flipped and sped to the ground at a speed of 500 mph. It crashed in the fileds of Shanksville, PA at 10:10 AM. Fourty-four on board will killed. It is believed the intended target was the White House, or the Capital.

Shanksville, PA

In NYC, the casualities were enormous. 2,763 died at the WTC, including 343 Firefighters and Paramedics, 23 NY police officers, and 37 Port Authority Police Officers. Citizens of seventy-eight countries were employees of the Towers and lost their lives that day.

At the Pentagon, 189 were killed. 125 were killed on the ground and 64 on the plane.

Nearly 3,000 innocent’s died that day.

Flag of Honor, I fly, listing the names of all those lost.

President Bush led America’s response by initiating Operation Enduring Freedom, a US led coalition to oust the Taliban and destroy Osama Bin Laden’s network, on October 7, 2001. Two months later, the Taliban was removed from operational power in Afgahnistan.

Osama Bin Laden, the money and brain behind the attacks was tracked down and killed on May 2, 2011.

Additionally, The Department of Homeland Security was formed as a Cabinet post, the TSA was formed and the Patriot Act was passed, allowing for surveillance of citizens and others.

The impact of that day was far reaching.

The “Pile” of rubble that remained in NYC took 9 months to remove. From its burning fumes and toxic particles, the first responders and people working and living in Manhattan were exposed to cancer causing elements. By 2018, 10,000 people were diagnosed with 911 related cancers.

The “pile” & workers

A 911 Victim’s Compensation Fund was formed and funds set to stop in 2092.

In December, 2001, Congress approved a bill calling for September 11 as Patriot’s Day.

Since that horrific day, memorials have been built at each site. They are each well worth visiting.

Pentagon Memorial
Firefighters wall of memorial

At The World Trade Center site, two reflecting pools were built with 152 engraved, bronze panels, surrounding the pools with the names of those lost that day. It is called, “Reflecting Absence”.

Reflecting Pool with names

On September 11, 2011, the museum opened up, taking you a level below ground to view the violent distruction that tore our hearts that day. It’s power rivals only that of the Holocaust Museum. It is heartwrenching.

Scenes from inside WTC museum

In November of 2014, The Freedom Tower, at One World Trade opened, standing proudly at 1,776 feet tall!

Freedom Tower

THIS day in American history, September 11, was MY Pearl Harbor!

Some of those brave patriots lost on 911

In Honolulu, on December 7, 1941, they lost 2,403.

Both have changed America and the world forever.

It is my sincere hope, that we will never forget September 11, 2001, not out of vindictiveness, but out of a call for remembering truth and the patriots who gave themselves in that pursuit. Most of them unknowingly that day.

Pins given to me by NYC firefighters

We know and we must never forget. THAT is the duty and privilege of a partiot.

Cheers,

Debbie