9/11 And This New Day

I am thinking, like many people are this weekend - about 9/11; wondering what the future may or may not have in store for us all. Feeling sadness for those who were murdered on that day, sadness for the heroes who died trying to save precious lives, and sadness for those who try to live their lives in the absence of those they held so dear. Although I was blessed not to have lost anyone personally that day, it was a "close call" for my family. My husband was scheduled to be on the first plane that crashed into the twin towers. The Friday before 9/11 I called Mark at work and begged him not to go on that particular trip; he travels all the time, and it was not like me to insist he stay home. I could not shake a feeling of utter terror in regard to his impending trip. Thankfully, he listened and without argument, cancelled his trip. Every time I hear a widow from 9/11 speak of their loss, my heart goes deeply out to them. In this way, I feel a very personal connection to what nearly "was."

Eight years later.....still no memorial at ground zero except the holes in the ground left empty and hopeless. I pray that by this time next year, there will be pools by which to reflect, and a museum to hold the memories of a day that should never be forgotten. We need to rebuild something at Ground Zero that says to the world and to ourselves.......we are still here.......we remember. Something that tells the world we are a people optimistic and full of faith. We wondered eight years ago how we could go on? How could life ever be the same? Yet here we are alive and continuing to live, despite the events that plague our memories. Let us "live" from this day forward with renewed commitment to be the people that we know we can be. Freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are Divine Gifts. The best way to honor those who died and to strengthen the world for future generations is to live well. Heal, rejoice, forgive, remember; God Bless Us All......The Whole World Over.