9/11

I did not post on nine eleven because I could not seem to gather my thoughts into the proper words. But I found someone to gathe them for me. The following words are lifted entirely from the site PRACTICAL PABLUM :
Friday, September 11, 2009

Life Goes On

It has occurred to me today that the basic tenet that life goes on, can also be the most depressing. That people who remain behind will always return to the business of living, while those who are lost never can. It sometimes seems unjust to allow the sharpness of immediate sorrow be soothed by time into a simple echo. Is the hole any less empty? Are our loved ones any less important once removed from our lives for a week, a year, a decade? They are not. Yet life goes on. And it is comforting to know that the pain will fade away, that life will return where at one point there was only devastation; we are hurt, we mourn, we move on. The world continues turning regardless of who is on or underneath its soil, and it is okay that our grief resolves into memories of what once was; tales brought out on anniversaries and special occasions. But coping should never evolve into complacency. On 9/11/01, the United States was united like it hadn’t been for decades. Our mettle and strength, so long scorned and doubted by the rest of the world, was proven as we stiffened our backbones and vowed to never again tolerate such an attack on our homes, our people or our way of life. Together we suffered, and together we supported those who had lost more than just their sense of security. The mothers, father, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters lost belonged to all of us, and we were better for having known them, and stronger for having lost them. More resolute. But life goes on. Petty differences and partisan politics can only be dismissed for so long, and the months of determination and solidarity dissolve back into day to day selfishness and routine. We forgot our newfound union in the heat of bickering and childishness. And there are still things to be fixed. Health care, the economy and environment are all still issues that need tackling. Issues that need our attention with the full weight of our power as a nation behind it. Regardless of our shortcomings, this is still the greatest country on Earth, and if we are capable of picking up the pieces after 9/11, we are capable of turning complacency to compromise. The enemies are not on the other side of the argument. They are still out there, and they still wish us harm. On this day eight years ago, nearly three THOUSAND people died on American soil, and we responded by standing together, and working together as individuals, as patriots, as family. I remember where I was on that day. We all do. And we should all take a moment to reflect on where we are now. Where are we today, eight years later, and where are we going? How are we insuring that we will be safe when we arrive? The memory of September 11th should not solely be one of reflection – it should serve as inspiration that there is no problem so great or horror unimaginable that we cannot recover. We are stronger than we know, and more similar than we think. We are American. Today we reminisce about the day that changed the world, and celebrate our ability to improve what remains. So that life goes on.

Never forgive, never forget.

Bless everyone who lived and lost on September 11, 2001