Four days ago was the 19th ‘anniversary’ of a very horrific day in the history of the United States. While there were many tributes on Facebook and other social media sites, a few folks mentioned September 10, 2001 and September 12, 2001.
Remembering September 10th is quite easy for me. From my perspective this was a relatively safe country. Unbeknownst to any of us, when we got out of bed that morning, it would be the last time for a long time, that we felt happy and secure. People went to work or school, children played outside, folks traveled without hesitation, and every now and then it crossed our minds that we lived in the greatest country in the world. Maybe I’m sugar-coating it a bit…but that is how I would like to remember it.
I woke up on September 11th and went to work. No radios or TVs were allowed in the office so the attacks on our country were in full swing before I heard about it. I remember one of the co-owners of the company coming in the door with panic in her voice. She asked if I had heard about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. No…I had not. Initially, I just assumed an aircraft hit the first tower due to a medical issue with the pilot.
It didn’t take long to realize that was not the case.
A short while later, the other owners came into the office and were very upset. Early reports were saying terrorist attacks. Being the wonderful employers that they were, they told me if I was scared or upset I could go home…without pay. Being self-supporting didn’t allow for being scared or upset without pay.
We all know what happened during the rest of that day and although it was a very horrific day, the sun did rise the next morning.
Less than 48 hours later, September 12th arrived and folks were glued to their TVs, hoarding groceries, canceling travel plans, and a thousand other things. At this point none of us were quite sure how this was going to end…or if it would ever end. The one thing we were all sure of was that nothing would be the same again and we would have to learn a ‘new normal’.
Some good comes out of every bad situation. A lot of other countries came to our aid, once again some of us learned to appreciate who and what we had in our lives, and to simply take nothing for granted. Maybe some family members who weren’t talking decided to bury the hatchet. There were fund-raisers of every kind for anyone who needed assistance from the fallout of 9/11. We came together and we were united.
Like everything else, all good things must come to an end. Nineteen years after 9/11, we are in the middle of a pandemic, the media is out of control, there is racial tension, police attacks, rioting, burning, and looting. We (the United States) are, in my opinion, the laughing stock of this planet. For a country that used to be thought of as having gold-paved streets, it is suggested that we now de-fund police departments, we have some political candidates that keep the late night talk show hosts cracking jokes, families and friends being torn apart because of political egos, and to be honest, the list is endless.
Our citizens have made a mockery of religion, politics, and the law. We’re out of control and the world knows it. If anyone thinks for one minute that this country is safe and sound and another attack is impossible, think again. We let our guard down almost 20 years ago and now that all this other bullshit is going on, our guard is down again because our attention is directed at trying to curb all the unrest going on.
I will always support the United States of America and will always believe that the American dream is possible. I will always stand for the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. I do not discuss politics or religion because I was raised to believe those are subjects you do not discuss with other people.
It would never occur to me to speak badly about a candidate running for the presidency or any other political office. It absolutely boggles my mind that people publicly ridicule others for their political beliefs, and not to mention the damage being done to our children and grandchildren who hear adults calling candidates every name under the sun.
There are ways for each of us to handle situations and people we don’t care for. I’m no better than anyone else and Lord knows I have my opinions about the current issues going on in the world and this country, but I speak about them in my own home
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