Bin Laden is dead

Back before the days of blogs I had an online journal.  I know.  Ancient.  I did a lot of reflecting about September 11, 2001 in it.  I was a sophomore in high school.  I had straightened my hair that morning.  My friend Erin told me about it on the bus that morning because her dad (who was serving overseas at the time) called her family to tell them.  I didn't get it until I walked into my first class where it was on the news.  I remember my Physics teacher crying because her husband was overseas too.  Everyone was in shock, and we were terrified and not sure what was going to happen next.  The estimated number of people in the twin towers was around 40,000, and when we watched those towers fall over live news coverage, our hearts hurt at the amount of death.  We later heard remarkable stories of all of the people who should have been in those towers, or in the Pentagon, but weren't.  And after months of rescue efforts, only around 3,000 people died.  Truly our Heavenly Father was watching out for the American people that day, minimizing the effect of the choices of some very evil people.  After the initial shock where were were merely glued to the television, we came together as a nation.  We raised money to help the rescue effort, and to help the families of those who were killed on that day.  We flew our American flags with pride, and wore patriotic clothes every Friday.  We suddenly realized that our neighbors were people too, and reached out to them  a little more.  Candlelight vigils, human flags, tributes to the men and women in uniform in New York risking their lives in the rescue efforts.  I loved our nation's reaction to such a tragedy.  It truly made me proud to be an American. 

Last night President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Quada terrorist group that implemented the attacks, has been killed by US forces.  I first saw the posts on Facebook this morning.  I've been trying to figure out how I feel.  I don't feel like celebrating, because celebrating the death of someone, even someone so evil, just doesn't feel right.  I feel relieved that his reign of terror is over.  I feel hope for our country.  Hope of some sort of closure to the attacks on 9/11.  Hope of closure to those who lost loved ones, hope of closure to those who witnessed it firsthand, and hope of closure to those of us who watched it from a distance, but still felt such great fear and sorrow.  I also feel gratitude.  Gratitude to Presidents Bush and Obama for not giving up on an unpopular war when they knew more than the American people did, gratitude to the thousands of men and women in uniform who risked and even lost their lives to help protect the American people, and gratitude to the families of those in uniform who supported their loved ones knowing the risks involved.  I also feel gratitude to Heavenly Father, for watching over those men and women and their families, and for watching over our country.  The number of people who didn't die on 9/11 was a real miracle. 

Now there is talk of increased fear of terrorist attacks in retribution.  Terrorism is exactly that: terrifying.  But I'm glad to know that Heavenly Father is there through it all, watching over us.  I know that wickedness never was happiness, and that those evil people will not receive their reward in Heaven, while those innocents who are killed by such horrible acts will receive their rewards for lives well-lived. 

A friend of mine posted these words on Facebook:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
--Martin Luther King, Jr

I guess now I hope that those who followed him will now be relieved of the fear that kept them true followers.  I hope that they will see the light, and the freedom, that comes from doing good to others.  And I hope that they can find true happiness, instead of living such a fearful life.   And I hope that slowly but surely the age of terrorism will disappear as people learn the true meaning of happiness.

Yesterday was a day of history, a day of relief, a day of closure, a day of hope, and hopefully the beginning of the end.  Although I guess we can't hope for perfection until the Millennial Reign of the true Prince of Peace.