Honoring the Fallen: From 9/11 to Today

In this episode, I invite you to join me in a space of reflection and grief as we remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and process a heartbreaking loss —the assassination of Charlie Kirk at a local Utah college campus, just yesterday. This episode isn’t about politics or debate; it’s about real pain, raw emotions, and the challenge of holding onto faith when the world feels broken.

Together, we walk through the weight of shock, anger, fear, and sadness that tragedies bring, and explore how God meets us in those moments of deepest brokenness. I share comforting scriptures that have carried me—and countless others—through grief, and wisdom from voices who have faced unimaginable darkness yet found hope.

This episode offers gentle encouragement for those wrestling with spiritual confusion and pain, reminding us that grief takes time, presence matters more than perfect words, and hope anchored in God’s love is real and unshakable. You’ll hear five practical ways to turn pain into purpose today—from honest prayer to sharing your story—and a heartfelt reminder that even when the world shakes, God holds us steady.

Whether you’re remembering the lives lost on 9/11, grappling with the tragedy unfolding yesterday, or simply seeking peace in a turbulent world, this episode offers a sanctuary of compassion, faith, and hope. You’re not alone.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Spa Promotion
• 0:59 Reflecting on Recent Tragedies
• 2:00 Personal Connection to 9/11
• 3:24 Finding God in Suffering
• 6:05 Five Ways to Process Grief
• 8:33 Five Steps to Transform Pain
• 11:22 Words of Comfort and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hi, friend, welcome to Holly's Highlights, a podcast designed to encourage, inspire and equip you to intentionally live your life full of purpose. I'm your host, holly Kirby, motivational speaker, leadership cultivator, marketing strategist and personal cheerleader. Let's check out today's highlights.

Speaker 2: 0:22

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Speaker 3: 0:57

Hey friends, thanks for joining me today. This episode is one of those that's hard to do, but also one I feel deeply called to share. Today we're taking time to pause and reflect. We're remembering the tragedy of 9-11, and we're also grieving another shocking loss the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which happened just yesterday right here in Utah on a local college campus. It hits especially close to home in Utah, on a local college campus. It hits especially close to home. My daughter goes to that school and someone in my family, someone I love dearly, was standing just a few rows away when it happened. I got the text I'm okay, but there's been a shooting and then I called and I heard the panic in the background as it all unfolded. It was surreal, and this episode isn't about politics, but it's about real life, real pain and real faith. It's about how we carry these moments together and how we let God meet us in the middle of the mess. I want to take you back for a minute.

Speaker 3: 2:00

September 11th of 2001. I was sitting on my bed watching the news planes crashing into buildings, smoke, fire, chaos. It looked like something out of an action movie, and yet it was all too real. I went to work, trying to go about my day and there was my boss crying. Her brother was in New York and she couldn't get a hold of him. We ended up closing the mall that day and it just felt like the world stopped. Some things you just don't forget, like 2,977 lives lost that day, thousands more injured, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. Families were torn apart, first responders risked everything and life was never quite the same again that day.

Speaker 3: 2:55

I remember many people asking where is God in all of this? Well, yesterday's events were shocking. Charlie Kirk was killed during a public debate right here in Utah and, as I shared, someone I love witnessed it. He was just a few rows away and I can't fully describe what it's like to get that kind of a message, to hear the fear in someone's voice while they're still in the middle of it. But it did bring me back to that 9-11 feeling. This can't be happening, but it was. It's scary, it's heartbreaking and it shakes you to your core.

Speaker 3: 3:32

But even in that space, when everything feels upside down, I do believe that God still speaks. Sometimes it's in a whisper, sometimes it's in a whisper, sometimes in the silence, but he's there and when life falls apart, here's what I lean on God's word, some verses that have carried me and many of you through. Psalms 34, 18,. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalms 46, one-3. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We will not fear even if the earth gives way. And Romans 8, 38-39. Nothing, not death, not fear, not anything in this world can separate us from the love of God. Martin Luther King Jr said we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. Helen Keller what we have once enjoyed deeply, we can never lose. And Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel Even in darkness it is possible to create light.

Speaker 3: 4:48

Whether reflecting on 9-11 or hearing of the tragedy from yesterday, you might be feeling shock it all happened so fast. Anger at the injustice, at the violence, fear, wondering what's safe anymore, sadness for what was lost and what could have been. You might even feel spiritually lost, wondering where God is in all of this. And that's okay, that's real. And sometimes faith starts in that exact place where we feel broken and we feel confused. Here's what I know God's plans can't be thwarted. He knew this would happen, whether it be 9 or 11 or yesterday's attack, and we may not understand it and it is not from him, but I fully trust that, as his word tells us, he can take what Satan has meant to harm us and God can use it for his glory and our good. As my brother texted me earlier, we may never know the side of heaven just how many lives Charlie reached through the seeds he planted and as my dad has shared for all of my life, god is not the author of confusion, but of clarity.

Speaker 3: 6:00

So what do we do now? Well, I'd encourage five things to remember. First, grief takes time. There's no quick fix for heartbreak. When I was going through a painful and wanted divorce, my mom told me God is going to use this, holly, but you have to walk through it first and you know what. She was right. The healing takes time. So be gentle with yourself. There is no time clock on grieving.

Speaker 3: 6:29

Number two just being there matters Sometimes. You don't need the perfect words, just show up, sit with someone in their pain, just like Job's friends did before they spoke. Presence matters. I've shared before. I'll never forget my dear friend who came and sat with me as I picked out what I was going to wear to my mother's funeral. Your presence matters, my friend.

Speaker 3: 6:54

Number three speak truth, but speak it with love. We can't stay silent in the face of pain, but we also don't need to yell it, as I share in my book Facelift Embracing Hope Through your Heartaches. Be cautious to post on social media or send a text or an email when we're tired, when we're emotional, even when we're hangry. Instead, we need to bring compassion and courage and clarity. Speak truth, but speak it with love. Number four don't isolate. After 9-11, strangers became neighbors. People showed up, support groups formed. We need each other now more than ever. This morning I took some time off to simply just be with a friend for coffee, as she had reached out regarding walking through a traumatic event in her life right now, and then I spent some time with my daughter for a drive, as we just processed our thoughts and feelings of what has occurred and just how close to home it hit, as that's her college campus. Don't isolate.

Speaker 3: 7:59

Number five hope is our anchor. Not empty optimism, but real, soul, deep hope, the kind that believes light will come again, that love wins, that death doesn't have the final word. As believers we know, in the end God wins. Hebrews 6 and 19 tells us that we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. The Lord, our God, is our hope. Keep hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. The Lord, our God, is our hope. Keep hope as that anchor, wherever you are right now.

Speaker 3: 8:33

I just want to say if your heart is broken, this is a safe space. You're not alone. If you feel far from God, longing is not the opposite of faith, it just might be the beginning of it. And if it all feels like too much, take a deep breath and then take one step at a time. Five things that you can do today to help turn that pain into purpose would be, first and foremost, pray with honesty. Don't hold back. Talk to God like he's your close friend. Let him into the hurt, to the worry, to the fears, to the concerns, to the anxieties. Prayer is powerful and effective, my friends. And if you're not sure how to pray, I'd welcome you to check out season three, episode five, right here on Holly's Highlights. We'll walk you through it.

Speaker 3: 9:24

Second of all, help someone. A kind word, a meal, a message, small things carry big weight. And if you're not sure how to help, again right here, spread light, not hate, as I tell my children and my team at work, we're not going to always agree with each other, we're not always going to see eye to eye or even get along, but we can always treat each other with dignity and respect and always rooted in love. Number four plug into a community, go to church, join a group, volunteer in your area, a school, a shelter, even open up your home to others. Get plugged in. And number five tell your story. Even if it's messy, your story can give someone else hope. Hence the creation of Facelift, embracing hope through your heartaches and even the Baptist Press reaching out to my brother and him being so vulnerable to share what he experienced yesterday and what he witnessed in the encounter of the assassination, witnessed in the encounter of the assassination.

Speaker 3: 10:44

Tell your story. You never know who you can reach, who you can encourage through simply being open and honest. Let me leave you with this promise from God. Isaiah 41, 10 says do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up even when the world shakes. God is steady. Even when we feel broken, he holds the pieces. Even in darkness, his light still shines, wow. Thank you, jesus. Now, if you're listening, right now, take a moment, breathe, acknowledge what you're feeling, reach out to someone. Don't go through this alone and let today be a day where you live love, even in small ways.

Speaker 3: 11:40

Now to the families who lost loved ones on 9-11, we still remember, we still grieve with you. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have visited where the Twin Towers once stood with my sister last year on our girls' trip to pay respect to the fallen. To the families, you still have my deepest respect and condolences and each year I have prayed and commit to continue to pray for you. May God meet you where you are. To every service member, veteran and first responder, thank you, the sacrifices of you and your families. They matter. As a parent of a daughter in college pursuing a career in firefighting and a high school son serving as a cadet with our local police force in preparation for his future in law enforcement, my heart is with you. I acknowledge that I haven't seen it firsthand, but I deeply respect and empathize with the path you have walked and are walking and the strength it takes.

Speaker 3: 12:41

Thank you To the Kirk family, to his friends, to those who loved him and knew him. We are praying for you. May his legacy of courage, conviction and care for the next generation continue to shine. Oh, that every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Thank you for holding this space with me today. May we carry remembrance in our hearts and hope in our steps and faith in our souls, today, tomorrow, always, in the words of Stuart Townsend in Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song, my comforter, my all in all. Here in the power of Christ, I stand no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand Till he returns or calls me home. Here, in the power of Christ, I'll stand. The power of Christ I'll stand Until next time. Stay anchored, stay kind, stay strong and be of good courage. Thank you for joining me on this journey of life.

Speaker 1: 13:58

I hope that today's highlight has been encouraging, inspiring and equipping so you can go out and live your life full of purpose.

Speaker 3: 14:04

I'd be honored if you'd take a moment to leave a review or, better yet, subscribe. We can also stay in touch by joining my email list at hollykirbycom.

Speaker 1: 14:14

That's H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Ycom. Until next time. Make it a great day for a great day.