RESILIENCE

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2001... a day that I will forever remember where I was when the worst happened.  You too?  I can imagine.  As if to improve my memory of those events, my mind seemed to take extra pictures eleven years ago on this day.  A day much like today in fact ~~~ a Tuesday with clear bright sunny skies.  Without conscious thought or effort, my brain knew what was happening was important information and I stored it in such detail that I will always remember the events.  After those horrible moments that were further imprinted by television and the internet, I knew that our lives as Americans would never be the same.

Since that ill-fated day eleven years ago, many of us have suffered personal losses.  Loved ones have passed away, relationships have failed, or our health declined.  Many have lost jobs that add to despair and make us long for times before the financial strain that affects our great country.  Despite having vivid memories of the fierce adversity we face in life, I believe we can learn from challenges and attain new heights. 

Like a monument to our resilience, the Freedom Tower continues to grow in view of one of history’s most devastating events.  As I boarded the Queen Mary 2 last month and sailed beyond the water's edge of NYC, the gleeming Freedom Tower (now called 1 WTC) was a vision of what has risen from devastation.  May we, too, rise above setbacks as a tribute to those who have fallen and may we exercise our strength and persistence in the face of whatever we encounter in life.

God Bless America and
God Bless You,