I got a phone call from my brother-in-law at 7am the morning of September 11, 2001, telling me to turn on the television, that we were under attack. From then on, I was glued to the screen, in complete disbelief at what was happening. That shock turned to grief as I watched the towers collapse, one after another, while people in the streets fled in terror.
I find it immensely saddening that our country, which tries so hard to do so much good in the world, can be hated so fiercely as well. People offer reasons, both valid and invalid, but there is never justification for hatred so complete that it can extend to a minimum-wage filing clerk who just needed to pay the rent; or to an airline flight attendant who had just given you a cup of water; or to a security guard at the front desk who smiled and waved when workers dragged themselves in to the office in the morning, still sucking on a scalding cup of coffee in a futile attempt to wake up; or, realistically, to anyone who died that fateful morning.
If anything good can possibly be said to come from the deaths of over 3000 people whose only offense was to be in a building that was a symbol of American economic strength, it is that on one day a year, we can put aside politics and just be Americans, citizens of the United States of America, brothers and sisters in the spirit of this great country. For another 364 days a year we debate the meanings, the causes, and the appropriate reactions to the events of September 11, 2001. Today, we mourn together, and we remember together, and hopefully, we grow closer together.
May God bless you, and keep you.
May God lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
3 comments:
Nicely Said!
Well said, Mike. May our children grow up in a world where hatred and cruelty against innocent people becomes a thing of the past.
Great words!
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