The hallowing of 9/11

Today is a hallowed day but not by any actions of minister, preacher, father or sister or other representatives of the divine. The day has been hallowed by the blood shed of our brothers and sisters who were in a place where a rending sacrifice was cut from a confident people.

The blood was from a diverse set of people, truly representing what the United States of America strives for and so often achieves, a peaceful mixing of many people, cultures, races and beliefs. Thus this loss touched each and every one of us with a heartfelt pain we still feel less than a decade after this deplorable event.

Mere words can add no more nor subtract from the value of the day, we can only quietly observe and honor their unwanted sacrifice by living our lives in spite of fear, in spite of the despair in these harsh, angry times. By standing up as a free people and not shrinking from the internal challenges before us, then we honor their sacrifice. We claim what was taken that day, our sense of perfect security and reweave it into a cloth of confidence and humility that allows us to embrace our differences and not destroy others out of fear. We become leaders by example, in which freedom comes at a cost and which we will not sacrifice for the illusion of perfect security from those who fear and loathe us because we stand out from others.