September 11, 2001, is etched within our collective memories, or should be, for those of us who remember that day of loss, courage, and confusion. For we look at a world yet again threatened by spiritual darkness.

Each year, we pause to remember not just the outrage we felt as the planes flew into the Twin Towers, guided by their ruthless Muslim hijackers, but of all the lives lost to terror since that day.

For many, 9/11 remains personal.

I remember that my brother called on what was planned to be a pleasant morning for my wife and me. He was calling from England, which was eight hours ahead of us at our home here in the Pacific Northwest.

He told us to quickly turn on the television and his voice was unexpectedly grim and serious. I quickly turned on the TV, just in time to see a large plane crashing into the New York skyline. What we all learned later was that it was one of the twin towers.

It was an ordinary day, but suddenly lives were being lost, and everything had changed in a single breath.

It is said that some days divide history into before and after. September 11 was one of those days. In America and around much of the world we all watched our televisions in silence, cried in disbelief, and all aged in seconds. But there were many who exulted and praised the Saudi pilots.

The world, as we knew it here in America, was shaken. But in much of the Arab world, especially among the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians, there were shameful and joyous celebrations.

I remember to this day what the great mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, later said.

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead, we have emerged stronger.”

Hopefully, we as a nation and a people are stronger, but I fear many may not be so strong, as we now confront the upcoming New York mayoral race, and how the next mayor may well be the grinning ghoul, Mahmood Mamdani, a Communist and a practicing Muslim.

So, on 9/11, we woke up expecting normality and sure enough there were heroes on that grim day already climbing up through the inferno that was engulfing the Twin Towers. The day that broke our hearts also revealed their great and blessed strength.

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”