September 11, 2011
Ten years have passed since our country was changed forever. 9 years ago I wrote about the heroism and patriotism our entire country showed that day. It was an outpour in writing of a person affected by events greater than he could understand. A life changed forever as he stared across the river at the smoldering mass that once was the Twin Towers of the Word Trade Center.
Now a decade later, I see our nation remembering the tragedy, but I do not sense the same bonds that were forged by it. We are a Phoenix that has risen from the ashes, but we are not the same - we are changed, morphed by a decade of economic problems and world unrest. After 9/11 every American was connected by the tragedy to the other through compassion and patriotism. We cared for each other like never before. Now it seems that was a brief moment in time.
My skyline has changed, my world has changed and my love for this country has changed. We can remember the fallen today with love and reverence. They deserve nothing less. But to honor their memories we cannot just remember how we lost them, we need to remember the bond their loss gave us. The feelings of brotherhood, caring and patriotism that filled our hearts and made us all better people because of it. That is the legacy this tragedy once had and should have forever.