September 11, 2001: Nine years later

    I just wanted to ask everyone here, before things get busy today, to take a moment to reflect on the events that occurred nine years ago today. Nine years, wow, that is a long time. I am in a different place, both literally and figuratively than I was then, but I remember this day like it happened yesterday. This country has been changed forever by these events, much like the lives of our grandparents and great-grandparents were changed on December 7, 1941, which ultimately brought us into World War II, and other similar dark days in our nation's history. You know the dates, so I won't repeat them all here. Whatever innocence we had, or still had even on those other days and up to September 10, 2001, is gone now, never to be recovered. We struggle with that every day.
    Those of us who are old enough know where we were and what we were doing on this day, nine years ago. We each will remember this day in our own way, in our own style. Allow each other to do that. I thought that day would be a average September Tuesday, but it wasn't. This day changed my life forever, and the lives of every American as well, even for those who were yet to enter this world, like my son and so many other children born on this day and after. Since that day, I have been to a lot of places and met a lot of people around the world and seen a lot of things, both good and bad and made some friends, and made some enemies. So be it. No matter where I have been, or where I am, or where I lay my head tonight or next to whom I do such, this day already had great meaning for me personally. The events of nine years ago added a horrible page to such. Those people out there who know me best knows what I mean.
   What almost everyone does not know, outside of close family and friends was that I were also dealing with the aftermath of a personal tragedy at this time as well. I do not watch the movies made about this day (and they were well made movies) because it (still) affects me so much, like almost nothing else I have seen could. Besides, my memories do the job of allowing me to remember just fine. But I am getting off topic, for I write this for a specific reason and it is not about me. 

    Like those other dark tragic dates in our history, this day should and MUST always have great meaning for every American. We MUST remember where we were that day and what we did in the days, weeks, months and years progressing from it, just like that sad day in November nearly five decades ago when we lost a President to a assassin's bullet, or that day in December nearly seven decades ago when we lost so many in a cowardly unprovoked attack in Hawaii that brought us into what we all (still) pray will be the last World War on this planet, and all the other days like them throughout our history where enemies, foreign and domestic chose to attack, hurt and kill our fellow citizens, famous or not, to advance their agendas and/or for whatever reasons that they justified in their own minds.

     We know (and will never forget) who many of these people are, but many of them are still in the shadows, and may always be. Please say a prayer for all for the people who were lost on this tragic day, and on those other dark days and for those brave souls who passed away in the days after, defending our freedom and/or trying to save the lives of fellow citizens, familiar and stranger alike. Say a prayer for all of those people that were left behind, young and old, who have to continue to live life, pick up the pieces, and have to try to be strong in the face of unfathomable grief, both near and far, especially today.
    Say a prayer for those who have had to take the place of those we have lost, both at home and abroad, who are doing the job of defending us and/or supporting these brave men and women, and to those friends and/or family who travel with them and support them unconditionally and/or who must stay behind and keep the faith and the home fires burning. They all willingly sacrifice a lot (more than most of us can know) to do this and we must never forget. I sure don’t and won’t.

    Say a prayer for our leaders and our President, the second one to have to make the tough decisions in this new reality, he who has to send some of us into harm's way even as he tries to bring others home after they have fought to defend our way of life on foreign soil and sand and in proverbial safe harbors at home and around the world for so long after this horrible day. These horrible people that hate us so much for whatever unknown reasons and those who tried UNSUCCESSFULLY to tear this nation down nine years ago and in the days since, can NEVER understand how and why they failed and why they always will in the years to come. Please support President Obama and those who work with and for him as they their best to do what is right for us, pray for them to be as moral and merciful as they can and allow them to know that we, this great nation's citizens has their back and has our thanks, even if we do not agree with every decision they make.
    Let us also say a prayer for our previous President, who had great responsibilities and pressures thrust on him and the rest of our leadership on that September morning when he was visiting schoolchildren in Florida. These were responsibilities that few other Presidents have ever had to bear, and none before in this exact manner. Like him or not, he did help bring us all through a horrible time, kept us together and more importantly, kept this nation safe. While every decision that he made may not have been right, in a legal and/or moral and/or any other sense, he made these decisions with the goal of defending our way of life and took on challenges that few of us would or could take on, most of which with no preparation time at all.
   Let history show the full, true story of his two terms, both good and bad, and let the reader decide for themselves how he and others should be judged on such years from now. Regardless of our own feelings toward him, let us all always give President George W. Bush, his family, and those who worked under him our thanks and our respect for their efforts and their sacrifices for all of those years.

    Lastly, always remember that it is the job of all of us, young and old to make sure that our youngsters who were either too young to understand or were not born yet to help them understand what occurred that day, and in the days, months and years that followed, so they understand without question why that this day must NEVER be forgotten by anyone who loves this country and/or who supports what we, as a nation, stands for and has defended to the end for a little more than two and a quarter centuries and what we will always continue to defend with honor, respect, loyalty and dignity, Lord willing, until the day we die. We must never EVER forget this day or those who were taken from us as a result of the cowardly acts of a few. Thank you.God Bless the United States of America!

I just wanted to ask everyone here, before you get busy today and this weekend, to take a moment to reflect on the events that occurred nine years ago today. Sorry for the length of this post. I will try to be brief. Nine years, wow, that is a long time. I am currently in a different place, both literally and figuratively, than I was back then. Many of us are the same. Yet I, and I am sure, most of us remember this day like it happened yesterday. This country has been changed forever by these events, much like the lives of our grandparents and great-grandparents were changed on December 7, 1941, and other similar dark days in our nation's history. You know the dates, so I won't repeat them all here. Whatever innocence we had, or still had even on those other days and up to September 10, 2001, is gone now, never to be recovered. We struggle with that loss every day.
    Those of us who are old enough know where we were and what we were doing on this day, nine years ago. We each will remember this day in our own way, in our own style. Allow each other to do that. I thought that day would be a average September Tuesday, but it wasn't. This day changed my life forever, and the lives of every American as well, even for those who were yet to enter this world, like my son and so many other children born on this day and after. Since that day, I have been to a lot of places and met a lot of people around the world and seen a lot of things, both good and bad and made some friends, and made some enemies. So be it. No matter where I have been, or where I am, or where I lay my head tonight or next to whom I do such, this day already had great meaning for me personally. The events of nine years ago added a horrible page to such. Those people out there who know me best knows what I mean.
   What almost everyone does not know, outside of close family and friends was that I were also dealing with the aftermath of a personal tragedy at this time as well. I do not (cannot) watch the movies made about this day for very long (and they were well made movies) because the events that are portrayed (still) affects me so much, like almost nothing else I have seen could. Besides, my memories do the job of allowing me to remember this day just fine. Many of us probably can say the same. But I am getting off topic, for I write this for a specific reason and this post is not about me or my feelings, one way or the other.  

    Like those other dark tragic dates in our history, this day should and MUST always have great meaning for every American. We MUST remember where we were that day and what we did in the days, weeks, months and years progressing from it, just like that sad day in November nearly five decades ago when we lost a President to a assassin's bullet, or that day in December nearly seven decades ago when we lost so many in a cowardly unprovoked attack in Hawaii that brought us into what we all (still) pray will be the last World War on this planet, and all the other days like them throughout our history where enemies, foreign and domestic chose to attack, hurt and kill our fellow citizens, famous or not, to advance their agendas and/or for whatever reasons that they justified in their own minds.

     We know (and will never forget) who many of these people are, but many of them are still in the shadows, and may always be. Never let them win, even for a second. Please say a prayer for all for the people who were lost on this tragic day, and on those other dark days and for those brave souls who passed away in the hours and days after, defending our freedom and/or trying to save the lives of their fellow citizens and others, familiar and stranger alike. Say a prayer for all of those people that were left behind, young and old, who have to continue to live life, pick up the pieces, and be strong in the face of the unfathomable grief they face every day, both near and far, especially today.
    Say a prayer for those who have had to take the place of those we have lost, both at home and abroad, who are doing the job of defending us and/or supporting these brave men and women, and to those friends and/or family who travel with them and support them unconditionally and/or who must stay behind and keep the faith and the home fires burning. They all willingly sacrifice a lot (more than most of us can know) to do this and we must never forget. I sure don’t and won’t.

    Say a prayer for our leaders and our President, the second one to have to make the tough decisions in this new reality, he who has to send some of us into harm's way even as he tries to bring others home after they have fought to defend our way of life on foreign soil and sand and in proverbial safe harbors at home and around the world for so long after this horrible day.

      These horrible people who hate us so much and for whatever unknown reasons and those who tried UNSUCCESSFULLY to tear this nation down nine years ago and in the days since, can NEVER understand how and why they failed and why they always will fail in the years to come. Please support President Obama and the Presidents will will follow him in the future as they their best to do what is right for us, pray for them to be as moral and merciful as they can and allow them to know that we, this great nation's citizens has their back and has our thanks, even if we do not agree with every decision they make, which is one of the gifts of freedom.
    Let us also say a prayer for our previous President, who had great responsibilities and pressures thrust on him and the rest of our leadership on that September morning when he was visiting schoolchildren in Florida. These were responsibilities that few other Presidents have ever had to bear, and none before in this exact manner. Like him or not, he did help bring us all through a horrible time, kept us together and more importantly, kept this nation safe. While every decision that he made may not have been right, in a legal and/or moral and/or any other sense, he made these decisions with the goal of defending our way of life and took on challenges that few of us would or could take on, most of which with no preparation time at all.
   Let history show the full, true story of his two terms, both good and bad, and let the reader decide for themselves how he and others should be judged on such years from now. Regardless of our own feelings toward him, let us all always give President George W. Bush, his family, and those who worked under him our thanks and our respect for their efforts and their sacrifices for all of those years.

    Lastly, always remember that it is the job of all of us, young and old to make sure that our youngsters who were either too young to understand or were not born yet to help them understand what occurred that day, and in the days, months and years that followed, so they understand without question why that this day must NEVER be forgotten by anyone who loves this country and/or who supports what we, as a nation, stands for and has defended to the end for a little more than two and a quarter centuries and what we will always continue to defend with honor, respect, loyalty and dignity, Lord willing, until the day we die. We must never EVER forget this day or those who were taken from us as a result of the cowardly acts of a few. Thank you. God Bless the United States of America!