Today marks another anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on our country. The nation came together - for a while - to help, to hold and to heal. Somewhere along the line, though, we gradually slid back to our normal routines and seemingly forgot about those things that bound us together.
For a short time, all Americans - regardless of their political position, religion, socioeconomic class or race - were joined in solidarity around those who had fallen and those who worked to rescue, recover and restore. We were Americans; bound together by our love of country and our care for one another.
I went to Ground Zero while in New York City a couple of years after the attacks. It was a horribly somber experience; one that I will never forget nor likely repeat. We stood at the fence surrounding the massive hole in the ground where the towers had once stood.
The hole marking the spot where thousands of Americans lost their lives.
The hole marking the spot where many of New York's Finest and Bravest made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the community.
The hole marking the spot where everything changed in America - probably forever.
My eyes welled up with tears as I read the countless tributes left at the site for loved ones who would never see them. I remember pointing out a neighboring building to Joseph in one of the photos of the site so he could grasp just how large the towers were.
I remember standing at the fence; struck by the overwhelming weight of grief for those left behind.
Today brings all of that to mind again. While it is good that our lives have returned to some level of "normalcy," I pray that we never forget all of the things that gaping hole represented: husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who didn't come home; heroes who refused to stop looking even when looking seemed futile; leaders who, without regard for political party, worked together to bring closure and justice; and perhaps most of all, the day that changed America forever.
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