Nine-Eleven.  The two words that will forever be associated with fear, anger, loss, destruction, and sadness.  It has been eleven years and somehow the blinding pain still hits just as strongly as it did in 2001. 

I was watching a documentary last night that discussed the timeline of the attacks.  While firefighters were getting to the scene, brave souls who worked in the building were also climbing up the stairwells to help those that were trapped above them.  I have always said that one’s character truly shines in times of adversity.  The men and women who saw everyone else running down the thousands of stairs to safety but walked up instead – those are the people who give us hope in the face of terrorism.

It wasn’t just the security mentality or the airplane anxiety that changed that day.  The documentary stated how Americans changed their attitude and welcomed the hand of a stranger.  Personal space was no longer the issue – people helped to carry elderly or injured down the stairs, workers pulled others out of the rubble…lives were sacrificed, heroes were discovered.

This video helps to ease the pain for a moment.  It shows the 9-11 memorial and how calm and peaceful the grounds are today in remembrance of those we have lost.

The silver lining to this devastating catastrophe is that our country became one unit.  Every citizen was proud to be an American.  We bled red, white, and blue for years.  There were endless acts of charity, and people going above and beyond to assist anyone in their vicinity.  Lets keep that alive today.  In the heat of the current Presidential battle we can still remain one country.

What small task can you perform that will put a smile on someone else’s face?  Perhaps carry a heavy bag for a stranger or say thank you.  To this day, my father solutes every soldier he sees on the street.  

A simple “I Love You” goes a long way.