It's devastating the price of not only being an American, but of being a citizen on this planet earth.  13 years ago last Thursday almost 3000 people died when a group of heartless villains hijacked some planes.  If you go back through my blog the past six years every 9/11, you'll find my memories of that horrific day.

this was ground zero when my family visited 10 years later.  new york was certainly far from healing.

   Human beings-- we are fragile.  Our hearts break and our bones break and it doesn't take much to snuff out our lights. For those who lost loved ones in the Twin Towers or in the planes, that pain will never go away.  And yet every year, as the heartache comes back like a knife for these poor souls, more and more "uninvolved" people turn their backs.   I mean, once my class graduates, all the schoolkids will be too young to remember!
         They say "Never Forget," and yet they forget.
        But regardless of whether or not you are old enough to remember, you have to understand the value of that saying "Never Forget."  It's not about never forgiving {though I am by no means forcing you to} nor about being stuck in the past.  It's about honoring the memory of those who faced tragedy and facing the present with renewed strength, wisdom and compassion.  Today, the news is filled with conflict-- between U.S. & ISIS, Israel & Hamas, Ukraine & Russia, Muslims & Christians in Central Africa, North Korea & it's very own people {and can I perhaps add humans & animals?)! Headlines declare death and destruction and no end of hatred towards the fellow man.  How can humanity possibly have become so cruel, so shortsighted?!    
       I am not going to be some naive hippie shouting "peace" as if that word, if expressed with enough flowers tossed about, could stop the fire.  I know that there are wicked, wicked people out there and too many blind and selfish to possibly rid the earth of these plagues.  But I think the first step in creating a better generation is to teach kids from a young age about the horrors of history, the different cultures/mindsets of different people, the blessings of reaching out and trying to understand and feel love for those even on the other side of the globe.
      God be with those of you suffered on that horrid September morning.  God be with those who still suffer while the heartless strip away their born rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I wore red, white, and blue on Thursday although not a single teacher brought up 9/11/01 because I will "Never Forget," and maybe, just maybe, that can help me become a better citizen of this little blue planet we ALL call home.