September 11, 2001

The day our world changed. The day we all became one; we saw a piece of what the rest of the world has dealt with for eternity; we felt the pain.

I used to live in New York, I worked in the trade center, my father worked in the trade center, my wife worked blocks away, my brother worked uptown, I had numerous friends who worked in the trade center.

When this world shaking event took place, all of my family but my brother was gone from the area. Many of my friends weren't. Some of them died that day.

It was the beginning of true fear right here in our country. You no longer had to be a soldier to fear the possibilities that the enemy could be right around the corner, lurking, waiting to trap and kill you. Thousands of our kinsmen died that day. I knew that this sort of stuff went on all over the world but I never imagined in my wildest dreams that we'd see it here, in our own backyards so to speak.

So many people are still feeling the effects of that day and will continue to for the rest of their lives. My family was lucky. We weren't hit with it, yet so many others were; lives shattered, fathers lost, mothers gone, children just disintegrated into nothing. All the dreams these families had were no longer the same. They no longer hoped for what they wanted the hour before it all happened. Many were hoping for months, years, to see the face of their loved one(s) whether it be alive or charred or crushed, they needed to see.

Whoever orchestrated this took not only lives, they took spirit. For a short time they took the very essence that made us who we are.....people......But through all of the horror, all of the grief, all of the tragedy we rallied. We banded together as one. Never in my life had or have I felt the patriotism that I felt during that time. But.......we sadly forget. Sure every year around this time of this month I'll remember 9-11 but what about the rest of the year. I have to honestly say that of course I'm aware of it, sure I still hear the names in the news but the feeling, the terror, I had when this first happened isn't there. I'm sure it is for the ones who actually lost someone but for me, one that didn't, the feelings are numbed. Perhaps I should be grateful that the fear is numbed but the patriotism isn't - It's still in each of us.

The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. — D.H. Lawrence

At this time I want to bow my head and say thank you to all of the people who helped get this country through that period. I want to thank all of the soldiers who have been spending their lives trying to do what their country has asked of them. It may not be of my opinion that it's been handled correctly, but I'm here, they're there. I have comfort, they have none. I worry about the cost of tires for my car and they worry if they're going to be killed; a little different huh? To the survivors of the innocent I want to express my sorrow and wish that you have been able to pick up the pieces of your lives. To whoever did this, sorry, but I wish you nothing good. What was really accomplished besides wreaking havoc on innocents both here and I'm sure some there?