I Remember....

I was 27.
I was a wife and a mother of 3.
My husband was getting ready for work and turned on the national news.
He came in to the bedroom and said, "I think an airplane just hit into one of the Twin Towers in New York. I think we might be under attack."
We?
As in our country? As in here on our soil? As in our brothers and sisters of one nation under God?
I didn't want my husband to go to work.
My heart ached for the families left behind.
I was afraid.
It's funny how a moment, a day can be branded in your memory. How you know you will never forget where you were and how sick you felt. And how you knew your world, your country would never be the same.
I found hope in the resilience of our spirit of community and in the humble faces turned to a Father in Heaven who is mindful of all.
And I found peace in the words of a living prophet who speaks for the Lord today.

President Gorden B. Hinkley, Sunday Morning session of General Conf. 2001.
As I read his words again today I can remember the spirit whispering peace to my heart.

We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (see Alma 48:10).

On the Larry King television broadcast the other night, I was asked what I think of those who, in the name of their religion, carry out such infamous activities. I replied, “Religion offers no shield for wickedness, for evil, for those kinds of things. The God in whom I believe does not foster this kind of action. He is a God of mercy. He is a God of love. He is a God of peace and reassurance, and I look to Him in times such as this as a comfort and a source of strength.”....

Great are the promises concerning this land of America. We are told unequivocally that it “is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). This is the crux of the entire matter—obedience to the commandments of God.

The Constitution under which we live, and which has not only blessed us but has become a model for other constitutions, is our God-inspired national safeguard ensuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law.....

Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God.

Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.

Read the whole talk here.