On This Day...

...I remember all of those who lost their lives but, as the proud daughter of a professional fire fighter, I am remembering all those brave men who rushed into the flames...

...the brave men, who with no thought to their own safety, ran into this Hell in the attempt to save their fellow man. They faced a situation for which no one could have planned, a horror for which there was no drill. An evil no one dared imagine.

None of them would have wanted to be called a hero. They were just guys doing their jobs. Yet, heroes the are. Heroes they will always be. Rest in peace knowing we will never forget your sacrifice.

If you see a first responder today, a fire fighter, a police officer, a paramedic...smile and say thank you.

And, as the wife of a 27 year veteran of the US military, thank a soldier, a sailor, an airman or a marine as well. They are out there for all of us.

Honor those who would lay down their life for you.

Bittersweet Thoughts...

On this day, I find myself thinking about all those souls we lost on that hideous day 6 years ago. I am thinking about their families and friends and the pain they have endured...the children who lost a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, uncle, sibling...the empty place that will never really be filled. I am thinking about the brave men and women who ran into Hell itself without a thought to their own safety but who cared only to try and rescue as many as they could. Some of those valiant ones who died in the process...heroes all. I am thinking of all the people in this world who were left scarred that day. Some of our naivete' was surely lost, as it was in the early 60s on the day John F. Kennedy was taken away from us. I am thinking about people around the world who know that destruction and sorrow are something that can happen to any one of us, at any time. Spain, England, Japan, Russia...we are all vulnerable. I am thinking about all those who live with terror and violence in war torn areas...who fear for their lives and those of their children's. Who live with fear daily yet manage to go about their lives and raise their families. I am still trying to understand the mind of a human being who hates so much that they wish dead, anyone whose religion, color, race, politics or lifestyle differs from their own. I am thinking about those they hate who would still risk their own safety to save those who despise them so. I am thinking about those men and women who volunteer to serve their countries and do so with pride and honor. I worry that we have become so far removed from this horrific event that we are beginning to, once again, take so many things for granted. To think that we will always see our loved ones at the end of the day...that we need not concern ourselves with the welfare of our fellow human beings...that we complain about airport delays and landmark metal detectors instead of remembering why we need them at all. That, as inconvenient as it may be, we still have it so much easier than so many others. I am thinking about the wonderful people of New York City who came together is a way that surprised even themselves. That warm feeling still exists today. I have seen it first hand. I am thinking about the people who became nurses, sailors, police officers, fire fighters, doctors, Red Cross workers, clergymen, Peace Corps volunteers, school volunteers or soldiers as a result of 9/11. It was their way of giving back to the world. I am thinking of all those who go about their daily lives with love and compassion and caring. It takes so little to shine a light in the world. Smile, hold a door, help with a package, give directions. Offer a helping hand to those less fortunate, be more patient with fellow drivers, sales people, restaurant servers. Hug those you love as often as you can. Tell people you care. Pray. It is so easy to become bitter. It is far more difficult to choose kindness, forgiveness, love.