Still Blessed


By Brenda Rivas, Communications Manager
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial”   ---James 1:12



I remember it like it was yesterday. I had flown into Boston less than eight hours before. The hour-long car ride had me ready to sleep long before I made it to my parents’ house.

As soon as I walked in the door, I slipped off my white worn-in sneakers, dropped my bags, and snuggled up on my mom’s grey overstuffed couch to rest my eyes. The next thing I knew it was morning. My mom was shaking me saying- Wake up, wake up! You have to see this. It can’t be real!

I opened my eyes to see a large red stripe across the TV screen that read- Breaking News: tragedy at the twin towers New York City. I immediately sat straight up and tried to clear my vision. But there it was, clear as day. One tower lit up by flames with a large, dark cloud of smoke billowing out from inside. The other tower suffering the same fate as a commercial plane flew into its side. I couldn’t believe it. I had been on that very street several times as a teenager looking up at the towers, admiring them and the amazing New York City skyline.

As the significance of that moment sunk in, I felt the life draining from me one tear at a time. I’d never been so afraid. The sadness of an entire nation wrapped around me and I felt powerless. Paralyzed. Trapped under the weight of all the death and destruction. For that entire week, I remained frozen on the couch, watching the news in both English and Spanish. Hoping, more than anything to see someone come on the screen and say it was all a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare.

After allowing me to grieve the loss of life and security, my mother and sister decided it was time to intervene. They reminded me of the reason I had come home that week- my sister’s wedding. It was a day away. I was the maid of honor and I had “responsibilities “.

Looking back at that week in 2001, it’s not surprising that I don’t remember all the details of my sister’s wedding, but I remember 9/11 very clearly. I am also grateful that my sister didn’t postpone her special day. I had locked myself in an endless cycle of fear, sadness, and anxiety. In reflecting back, I realize that I needed that time of celebration to see that even in the darkest times there is hope. There are blessings. Even now when our country is experiencing another time of uncertainty and fear, there are still blessings around us. We simply need to look for the hope and the blessings and remember to embrace them.

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