About September 11, they say, “We will always remember.” What will we always remember? What memories will we pass down to our posterity?
-the shock of villains using our freedoms against us
-no longer naive about freedom and safety; we are never more than one misstep away from an attack on our shores
-the faces of teenagers with signs and pictures, asking if we have seen their mom
-the babies whose parents never showed up to daycare
-the smoke, dust, and debris
-the sounds of the warning signals on the firemen’s uniforms
-the once meaningful papers now defunct and flying aimlessly toward the ground
-private boats coming to the rescue of those stranded on the shore
-people walking miles to get home
-the absence of the Twin Towers on the skyline
Mostly today, I am remembering a nation who was quite able to defend itself. Still, first, we humbly went to our knees in prayer. We came together for that hour. Nothing else mattered. I remember a reprise of American flag tee-shirts and logos. I remember being an American joined by fellow Americans everywhere in grief, mourning, and action. We helped neighbors and strangers. We didn’t ask questions. We did what we could when we could. Pick up kids from school. Donate blood. Donate money. Attend a prayer service. Cry with our children. Cry with friends who suffered such profound and sudden loss.
This is what I remember. No divisiveness. That day and time when we were all Americans, united in the cause of liberty. And I miss it.
May we always remember being united in the cause of liberty- the land of the free and the home of the brave.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.??
