Days We Remember

Today is one of those days. Through our lives we have special occasions we remember with a smile. Then there are days we remember with sadness in our hearts. Today is a day we may all remember exactly where we were when this occasion happened because it was not on just a personal level…but on a nation level.

Some of us remember exactly where we were when JFK was assassinated – I was coming out of gym class in 7^th grade, in the locker room getting ready for my next class. And today…so many years ago, though it may feel like yesterday, I was standing at my vanity with a brush in one hand and my hairdryer in the other. I was getting ready for work, just like millions of others were. The stunned feeling of realizing it was not a news prank, but unfortunately breaking news still radiates unbelief in my soul as grief, sadness, and anger pour within me…how could this have happened.

I hope for all of us it was a moment in time we won’t forget…the lives lost, the lives changed forever, the bravery of our fellow citizens, firemen, and policemen. The truth of who in our White House knew this could happen must live with their knowledge and lack of action forever. Those who allowed those men to be trained as pilots must live with that regret as well. Saying “we had our eye on them” means nothing to any of those affected and living with daily grief.

The theories and speculations will go on forever, but it will do no good to anyone. What is done is done. Forgiveness may be given, but the details never forgotten. People say if you forgive you have forgotten. Not so, I forgive many people but I remember everything…words, actions, occasions. Because if we forget, what have we learned…nothing. We need to keep our boundaries guarded, we need to get the illegal immigrants back to their own country and stop being such a pushover country. Let them do it the right way. We need our governing body to protect our countrymen today, tomorrow and forever. They say they are doing their best to watch over possible terrorists but more needs to be done than “watching”…because if you close your eyes, that watching turns into nothing more than an apology later because those terrorists you were watching have taken our lives in their hands and are sitting back laughing at our generosity, kindness and naïve nature.

Here we are, again, talking about another country, Syria, to flood money, time, troops and other strategies, when what we need to be doing is taking care of our own backyard. I don’t care if that is not being “politically correct”. I don’t care if I’m being too callous for others to hear because I say what others don’t out of fear they may get berated for being unkind. It’s a balance act, and we are way out of balance. I know many people that have come to the U.S. through proper means and are proud Americans now. We can all recognize how, as countrymen, we have pulled together in more tragedies than we care to think about…from 9/11 to Hurricane Sandy…we are strong, kind, loving and generous. Nothing can stop us, so how about if we let our government know we voted them in office because we trusted them to keep our country safe so we could focus on each other. Not to worry about how good they look to the world by helping every other country when the focus should be on our own…our hungry children, our homeless, those in foreclosure, those who are ill, physically or mentally, with no medical insurance or other needed resources. Maybe funds could go into helping our unhappy teens that live in gang life because they are such lost little souls that anger keeps them from crying. Yes there are many sides to every story, this was just the tip of the iceberg and I’m sure I am misguided in some areas…but these words were fighting to get out of me so here they are.

This list goes on with the changes we need to see right here in our own backyard. As a civilian I am not privy to all the information the government has, their plans or any other pertinent data. All I can offer today is a prayer…a prayer for change to our country, knowledge to those in power and peace to the souls of those in sorrow.