When Tragedy Strikes

"These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." ~ President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001.

Today is Tuesday.  Eleven years ago on a quiet Tuesday morning, life as we knew it changed radically.  A sunny business day in New York became clouded as buildings collapsed.  People ran  from the rubble as fast as they could.  But just moments before the twin towers collapsed, people were running inside.

At some point in our lives, we are all faced with adversity.  Adversity.  It's a broad word that defines both minor and significant events that shape our character.  And when faced with trying circumstances, we have a choice.  Eleven years ago, when our country was attacked, there were firefighters, police officers, port authority personnel and many others who ran into burning buildings while others were running out.  And though we could say they were just doing their jobs, we need to remember that they were people; they had loved ones waiting for them, who expected them to come home when their shifts were over.  But they made a choice.

When the passengers on Flight 93 came to understand what was happening, they too made a choice.  They could have remained in their seats.  They were thousands of feet above the ground and could have decided there was nothing they could do.  They could have accepted their imminent death.  Instead, they chose to fight.

As we reflect on the events of that horrible day, let's honor those who died and remember we always have a choice regardless of the circumstances we face.  That day, as a country, we united.  Instead of giving up, we carried on.  And we will continue to do so.

From a poem I wrote for the two year anniversary:
"For all those lost or alone,
In remembrance we survive."