**I wrote this 2 years ago. I wish I could say that our country was not as divided as then but sadly it is more. We see selfish, entitled people all over the place. People still not able to be respectful with those they disagree with. I would have hoped that the climate in our country would be better but now pretty much everything is tense. There is tension everywhere you look. My prayer for today is that families are comforted, that people remember, and that our country can put aside the differences for even one day because this is bigger than any of us. Our lives, are bigger.

September 11, 2001 didn’t start out as a horrible day in America. I woke up in my apartment in Flagstaff, AZ and got ready for my 8am class. It was my last semester before student teaching and I was engaged and living with 3 roommates in a 2 bedroom (tiny) apartment. It was the best of times.
That morning, I called Adam because it was an “anniversary” for us. You see, our first date was 2 years before 9/11/99, so I called to remind him of that and tell him I loved him. On the other end I was greeted with “don’t you have the news on?” Not exactly the response I was hoping for but I turned the news on and was immediately horrified. In an instant that day changed for everyone living in the US. In an instant, it became the worst of times.
No words can describe the scenes and the horrific acts from that day. The people who were lost and the families that were forever impacted – I have no words. I mourn with you and remember your loved ones- daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, mentors. Good, good people were lost that day for no good reason.
The silver lining, as cliché as that sounds, was seeing people from all over step up and take care of one another. It didn’t matter where you grew up or what color your skin was or what you believed, people jumped in. It didn’t matter how much money you had or what your political affiliation was, people helped.
Today, 17 years later, our country is more divided than ever. We claim tolerance yet we are less tolerant than ever. We claim to accept yet we are less accepting than ever. We all have our beliefs, views, and opinions and that is what makes us who we are. We will never agree on everything 100%. It will not happen, we weren’t wired for that. But we need to step back and understand that while we may not agree, we don’t have to hate one another.
The political climate is appalling. We are failing our kids. We are teaching them that if people don’t see eye to eye with us, they are wrong. We are teaching our kids to fear other opinions and we are teaching them that their’s is the only one that matters. We are raising a selfish, entitled generation and that is our problem. We, as parents and teachers and aunts and uncles and grandparents and people, owe it to the generation that is looking up to us, to be better.
Let’s look back to the days following 9/11 where we stood for one thing and loved people no matter what and held doors open and said hello and thought about people other than ourselves. We owe it to the people who were lost on that horrible day, to do better than they encountered.
This world, this life, is not all about us. We are supposed to love people and I don’t care if you believe in God or believe in Jesus, like I do. You are still capable of loving people. You are still capable of listening to another opinion and respectfully disagreeing. As a Christian, I am called to love God and love people. I don’t always do it well, but I am trying. I am not fearful of your differing opinions. I am frustrated when I am not allowed to share my opinion because you are fearful of it.
Let’s get it together people! We have one life here, just one. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? Let’s take this 9/11 anniversary and think about those who were lost and the legacy they left. Some good, some maybe not. Some died as heroes. Straight up bosses, that didn’t think of themselves or their families but of the greater good. Let’s be bosses today and every day! Let’s get behind each other and support each other. Let’s love each other like never before. It’s about time!
Oh, and 19 years ago, I went on a date having no idea what it would become…I’m a pretty lucky girl.