It seems impossible that it's already been nineteen years since the terrorist attacks.
As time ticks on, I meet young people who can't remember this event or who weren't born until years later.
This makes me wonder: is distancing from the event a good thing or a bad thing?
Probably both.
It's a good thing that the grief that swallowed our nation has abated. It's good that people were able to pick up the tatters of their lives and move on bravely into the future.
But it's not good that our nation has forgotten its unity and how to press on in spite of differences and individual struggles.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers how united America was right after the attacks. People went out of their way to bless others. Strangers spoke kindly to one another, never knowing the needs others had and trying to be sensitive to everyone.
What a difference from life as it is now! Where is our forbearance with one another's differences? Where is the happy, go-out-of-my-way-to-serve attitude?
In honor of the nineteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks and in love for the nation that shelters you, I challenge you to sprinkle a little of that "9-11 spirit" into your actions. Be gracious for the differences that divide and generous with the love you give.