Remembering in Hope

Since the early 1990s, I have been "traveling" to New York City every year for the US Open through TV. The US Open takes place at the National Tennis Center in Queens during the two weeks that straddle the Labor Day weekend. I remember quite fondly that when I was still in Hong Kong, because of the time difference, I would get up extra early on the second Monday morning after the Labor Day weekend to catch the men's single's final as much as I could before school.

In 2001, the men's championship match took place on September 9. By that point, I was studying in the United States so I watched the match on TV that Sunday night. Two days later, on the morning of September 11, I was home alone (my roommates were at work). I remember that morning as a beautiful, sunny day with clear blue sky. The TV and the computer were not on, so I was completely oblivious to the tragedy unfolding in New York City, Washington DC and Shanksville, until my friends and family called and I turned on the TV.

Like many, I was shocked, saddened and unsure of what was happening. I had just "come back" from New York City after the US Open. I still remember shots of the beautiful New York City skyline during the tennis programming. That evening, my roommates, friends and I gathered at home to support each other and to make sense of what had happened while wondering what would come next, knowing quite well that life would not be the same.

Just before the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I had a chance to travel to New York and I visited the World Trade Center site. It was a large wound. Life went on, but the site served as a reminder of what had happened. Since then, I had become an American citizen and 9/11 became more meaningful to me. Most of those who died in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and on Flight 93 were my fellow citizens. So were the first responders who risked their own lives to save others, and the military who had gone on to fight for freedom since then.

This year, as usual, I have "come back" to New York for the US Open. The skyline is not the same as the one I saw ten years ago, and in many ways, our lives have not been the same. However, God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As we remember 9/11, the victims and their families, we can remember in hope, knowing that while we experienced much sadness ten years ago (and even now), we can hold on to the eternal hope that comes through Jesus Christ alone.

8 Years

Peace and Unity

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4: 6-7

It has been a week since the election. Afterwards, my friend Pat linked two blog posts regarding the results and I thought I would share them here, because in a time such as this, it is so easy to feel discouraged, uncertain, and divided. Beth Moore, well-known speaker and Bible teacher with the Living Proof Ministries, calls for prayers for our President-elect and his family, and for the unity of the Body of Christ. Great reminder indeed.

If you would like a more convicting message, read the post from Lysa TerKeust of the Proverbs 31 Ministries. It is time to leave our comfort zone and wholeheartedly follow Jesus and be His hands and feet like never before.

And we can choose to look up to Him who alone holds the future.

Vote

I voted for the next President of the United States for the first time in my life on Friday. I remember four years ago, when I could not vote, I was anxious about the election. It was not a great feeling to be living in a nation that cherished liberty and sitting on the sideline at the same time. So when I applied for citizenship last year, I prayed that I would become a citizen before this year's election. God graciously answered my prayer and there I was on Friday, standing in line to particpate in this year's election.

I preferred not to wait, but since I could not make it to early voting until Friday, and after counsel with hubby, I waited in line. I then realized the wait time was perhaps the best time to pray for this election and the country, and so I did. A short thirty minutes later, I cast my vote.

I could not predict the results on Tuesday, but as I stepped out of the voting booth, I knew I had done my part as a citizen of this great nation. Voting is not a duty, or "one more thing to do," or even a right, but a privilege. Where I am from, we have never had the opportunity to vote for our head leaders, so the ability to vote cannot be taken for granted. If you have not voted, please do so on Tuesday. You have to go out of your way, and the line might be long, but your vote is going to decide the direction to which our nation is going.

At the Baseball Game

I went to my first-ever baseball game a few weeks ago. If a baseball game is a great American experience, I got the full taste of it there, but not for the baseball.

All was casual and jovial when we arrived at the field. Families were filing in, children were playing in the play area, laughing and giggling. While we were chatting with hubby’s co-workers, I was also attempting to take in this baseball experience. When it came time to start the game, the announcer asked us to stand for the anthem. We turned to the flag and a singer began singing. It was the first time I heard a live performance of the anthem since my naturalization four months ago.

After my interview and approval of my naturalization application, I stopped by my former workplace, which was nearby, to visit with my former co-workers. One of them told me that her mother was a naturalized citizen from England, and that her mother would cry every time she heard the anthem after becoming an American. As I listened, I wondered if the same would happen to me.

At the Oath Ceremony where I became an American citizen, a singer performed the anthem at the very beginning. Since it was before my oath, I was not particularly emotional about it. But as the ceremony went on, as I took the oath, as I heard the President speak, I remembered my former co-worker’s words. The Star-Spangled Banner would now be my anthem too.

I have been hearing the anthem on TV occasionally since the Ceremony. The baseball game took place during the Olympic Games, and of course, I had celebrated my first Fourth of July as American. However, at the baseball game, looking at the flag, putting my hand over my heart and listening to the anthem, it became a far more emotional experience that it quickly overrode the casualness of a sports game. My vision became blurry. I did not cry, but I felt what my former co-worker's mother felt.