Cannot Edit History

You cannot edit history. It happened. Like many around the world I needed to do something to relieve the pain we all felt. On that day I wrote. This is a piece from that horrible day nine years ago. Much has happened in the world (and in my life) since that day. The world is no longer the same and I am no longer married. But I share with you my thoughts on that day.

Today I Cried
Today I cried. But I was not alone. Today I prayed. But I was not alone. Today I mourned. But I was not alone. Today is Sept. 11, 2001. America has been shot through the heart with poisoned arrows filled with innocent people. Shot from the bows of hatred and cowardice, these arrows flew swiftly and quietly through the morning air. On impact, they were shots heard around the world. Today the world cries. Today the world prays. Today the world mourns.

In June my wife Rosemary and I vacationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. We stayed on Waikiki Beach in a hotel room with an ocean view. We enjoyed the beautiful white sand beaches and the tropical warmth of this island paradise. During the day we would swim in the salty refreshment of the Pacific. In the evening we would venture through the busy streets of town. One night we went to the movies. We had one movie in mind, Pearl Harbor.

As we sat there in the darkness of the theatre we were stunned by the horror of a long ago truth. America had been attacked. It was ugly. It was sad. It was impossible that it could ever happen again. Or so we thought.

On the last day of our stay, we toured the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We were among the hundreds to visit the memorial on this particular Sunday. Some of the visitors were kids. Some were old and gray. Some of the tourists were from foreign lands, Japan included. Each visitor, I’m sure had different perspectives of the significance of the memorial and of the events that day in history, Dec. 7, 1941. The young perhaps bored, the old perhaps tired. As for me, I was reflective and sad. My visit brought back memories of my dad who died a couple of years ago, but who served our country as an officer in the Navy. He was just a child during WWII, but served more than 23 years, some of those years stationed at Pearl Harbor in the late ‘60’s.

On the ferry ride from the docks of the harbor to the Arizona Memorial that spans the width of the sunken battleship, I looked upward to the mountain range in the distance. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the Japanese fighter planes as they crested the mountains zeroing in on their sleeping targets lined up like ducks on a firing range. In my mind I heard the noise. On my skin I felt a chill. In my heart I felt the pain. But in my soul I felt safe. Safe because this is America and Americans are smart. We learn from our experiences. We grow from our mistakes. And an attack like this could never happen again. Not in America.

It happened. We received a 911 call we never expected. We must learn new lessons. Now is a time to think clearly; a time to embrace life, even as the smoking pile of rubble buries the hopes and dreams of husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. Today is a new day in America, a day when the foundations of our buildings are questioned, but the foundations of our spirits are strengthened by the bonds of our faith.

Today we begin to build a new future. It will be built one day at a time. Some days we’ll make great progress. On other days our gains will be few. But we will succeed in creating a place in our hearts where hope lives and love prospers. In time our smiles will return and serve as a monument to a new America.

Even though today the streets of New York look like the gateway to Hell, there is a lady in the harbor who stands tall and will continue to welcome those who seek freedom. She is a beacon of hope to a new generation of immigrants; a generation of Americans crossing the abyss of today’s emotions in search of a safe country. She will help us find a new home in our old houses. In the days ahead she will be our night light against the evil that lurks in the dark. She is the Statue of Liberty.

We will all remember today. We will see the smoke. We will hear the noise. We will see the tears and we will feel the fears. But will we remember why? We will remember today because a piece of us died with the friends we never met. We will remember today because a piece of us was reborn–a patriotic, compassionate piece. We will remember today because we are alive. We have today. We wish for tomorrow, we long for yesterday.

America will win the battle of freedom because we are united in our goal, passionate in our purpose and dedicated to a constitution that guides our action.

Today is all you’ve got. Use it to make a positive difference. Your family needs you, your community needs you and America needs you.

God speed.