We Remember...Always!

I am not a particularly maudlin person. Not prone to reliving the past over and over. Not one to harp upon the woes of the world. Life is precious, without a doubt. To be relished, to be cherished, to be appreciated. Those who fight to preserve our way of life, those who respond in the face of disaster, those who allow us to remain at home - safe, grateful, hopeful - have no equal.

There isn't a man, woman or teen who cannot clearly recall when they heard the news ten years ago about the terror assault waged in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. September 11, 2001 terrified us like no other (excepting possibly Pearl Harbor) because the horrors of war were brought to our soil. Loss of life is tragic. Violence is abhorrent. Exacting long-lasting change takes more time than most are willing to give.

I propose the following on this, the tenth anniversary of 9/11 - take pause to remember. But do not dwell upon the anguish, the pain, the desire for retribution. Retribution comes from our survival, our recognition that life is precious. Retribution comes with our appreciation for those things that we do have, rather than the things that we don't. Tell your friends and family that you love them, so there is never any doubt. Enjoy that dish of ice cream, that glass of wine, that escapist fiction, those things that seem like guilty indulgences. For our ability to indulge in them today means we have not given in to the fear that terrorism provokes but rather that we have chosen not only to survive, but to thrive!

May peace find you all. Enjoy your guilty indulgence today!