Nine years ago, on the prettiest late summer day, innocence was killed. Rather than wallow in grief, however, America put our chin out, raised our flags high and proud, and filled the holes in our collective heart with small kindnesses. We retold stories of brave acts. We strove to be better people, worthy of the country we love.
The wounds still feel fresh; the grief may never recede completely. On this day of remembrance, I hope that the overwhelming desire to help gains strength again, and the very best of our collective American nature rises in each of us.
That would be nice, wouldn’t it? I still hear and see so much hatred and misunderstanding and false patriotism, though, and it makes me sad.
Thank you for always writing thoughtful posts for September 11. I always feel stymied by my emotions, but I know that I can read your post and know that it is true.
September 11 is a day I worry about. When it comes around I worry about what Americans and other will do. Thanks for the nice post!