Three Thousand Two Hundred Eighty-Five Days Later

Nine years ago, time froze while we tried to absorb what the eyes were seeing and the ears were hearing.  So much for the brain to process at one time.  The day that we never really expected to have to live through in our homeland.  Nine years later, we are still trying to adjust to living beyond that day, and we’re not putting forth a good effort as a nation.  Tragedy and death should never become opportunities for opportunists – political, racial, or financial – of any kind or ilk.  The rawness of this tragedy has been trampled on by so many people for their hateful and selfish purposes.  

The dialogue about the proposed center near Ground Zero has fuel more argument and bashing than discussion.  I expressed my feelings about the center over the past six weeks and have been saddened by the harshness and nastiness of some responses, empowered (I think) by the anonymity of the internet.  I know that some people will seize any chance to try to win a point with rude and bombastic staging, but social media has given people a false sense of power, or maybe for some people it is the only sense of power that they have to say whatever they want.  Whatever their reasoning, it’s not a good look.  You may feel that enough time has passed and that the constitutional and legal right to build such a center is what matters.  Others of us are not ready now for such – maybe later, and for some there will never be a time when they are ready.  We should all respect each other’s feelings without turning discussions into slugfests.  And no matter which side of the discussion you fall on, the safety of our troops and civilians overseas should never be jeopardized by self-promoting racists here at home (with the help of some media platforms and outlets).   The idea of burning any book of worship is reprehensible.  None of us is perfect, but no good can come of desecrating God’s Word, through flame or any other sin that you choose to commit. 

While we are caught up in the drama of the vitriol and the rhetoric, life is still going on.  There are people who observe their birthdays today with a pause to remember.  Tomorrow is National Grandparents Day, a good excuse for lots of hugs and kisses, flowers, cake and ice cream. This is Pediatric Cancer Month, a good time to buy a cup of lemonade to help look for a cure.  Take a stand for cancer research.   Support our troops and our veterans.  Create an idea to strengthen your neighborhood, or vote for someone else’s idea. 

We can’t change that day or bring back any of the lost, but we can honor their memories and sacrifices by working together to make our nation stronger.  Whatever you choose, make it positive, something good to help our country to heal and move forward.  I want my hero to know that we will never forget.  God bless the USA.

The Window Seat by Karen Caffee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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