We are being encouraged to forgive, forget & move on with our lives. Forgiveness is a must, it is one of God's greatest lessons & admonishments to us. For our own peace & sanity we must learn to forgive others for the harm they cause.
Forget? How can anyone possibly forget the people, the places, the security that was ripped from us that horrible day? Granted, it would be very nice to walk around in a protecting fog, never having to confront the evils that we do to each other & even to ourselves everyday. Never having to watch it on the television or hear it on the radio. On the other hand, what about all the good? Family, friends, hopes & dreams, all the things that make us human.
Consider this as well, what if we DO forget? What if we go back to being that to trusting nation that lets everyone in? People who wish to harm us, people who are jealous of or disgusted by our way of life? What do you think will happen? Do you think we will all live peacefully together? I don't. I think the same type of thing or something even worse would happen all over again. The events of that day & the days & years that led up to it can never be forgotten, we must remain vigilant. It can not happen again.
What about moving on? Yes, to a degree we must all move on. After all, our lives go on no matter what happens. Even when you lose someone you love & it feels like your heart has been ripped out, your life will go on. But do we forget those people? No, we remember & honor them as if they were still here. If we start to move on too much then this date will become like any other. This is NOT an ordinary day & it should NOT be treated as one. The people who were lost or injured that day & in the days following should ALWAYS be remembered & honored for the martyrs & heroes that they are.
I did not personally know anyone who was killed or injured that day. However, as a Christian, an American, as a human, it affected me VERY deeply. I still cry if I see it on TV, I have several books with pictures & sometimes I get them out & cry & pray for those poor souls. I was privileged to be allowed to do a tribute on this blog two years ago. My tribute was for a lovely woman named Julie Geis. As I researched & wrote about her life I came to know a successful, generous, loving woman who is & always will be tremendously missed. I came to mourn the life of a woman I did not know, a life that was cut short before a lot of her hopes & dreams could be realized. Please, if you have time, follow THIS LINK to her tribute. THIS LINK will take you to a page with links to all the tributes that were done in '06. I believe they are all worth reading again.
As Americans with lives that are too busy, have too many distractions, too many entertainment choices we all too often forget about the important things in life. We get concerned with things that don't matter, celebrities & what they are doing, which of them is good, which of them are bad. Clothes, cars, jewels, money, all those things mean nothing in the end. Your families, your true friends, the way we all pulled together after 9/11, those are the things that matter. Love one another, CHERISH one another. You never know when someone you love is going to be taken from you.
Remember the things that happened that day, remember the people who were lost, remember their families, don't let anyone tell you when you should move on. Pray for them, pray for all of us. Pray that we never ever forget.
I remember.......
Julie Geis
For Julie's sister Carol & her friend Kathy who were so kind & supportive of me during & after the writing of her tribute. You're still in my heart, thoughts & prayers, as well as the rest of your family & the families of everyone who was lost that day.
Heather Smith
