9/11: JUST THINKING

Yesterday was 9/11. And just about all of the TV stations had something on what happened that day and the days following.

I could not watch any of them. Eventhough it has been 10 years. I tried to watch, but it was too painful. I have looked at other blogs to see what they had to say. And it hurt. We all remember where we were, and what we were doing that morning. I was on my way to work and I could not believe what was happening. I was working for Gateway Computers in Lakewood, CO.

When I got to work, no one was working. They had TVs going, and people were glued to them. Then I found out that we had people in New York at the towers. And some of our people had loved ones in the towers.

To see someone you work with, and to see the look on that face, when they know that they just lost a loved one. Cell phones calls were many. And some listened to their loved ones perish or told their loved ones that they loved them as the phone went dead.

I was MAD! I wanted revenge! I wanted to join the military. I wanted to do SOMETHING, anything. I was 45 back then, and knew that I could not get into the military. And that made me mad, too.

And, still, they kept showing it over and over on TV. We, as a nation, got mad and went kind of mad. But our madness came out in the form of us joining together.

THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA. Our flag was everywhere. We had firefighters, rescue workers, police -- you name it. They came from all over this country to lend a hand in New York. If I could have found a way, I would have gone to volunteer to help in New York, and I'm sure there are lots of others who wanted to do the same.

We had who knows how many of our young people joining the military. And, oh, how I wanted to! All of our lives changed forever in some way. The spirit of the American people has changed also. It is not as loud as it was after 9/11. We will not ever forget 9/11, or any of the other tragedies that have befallen our country.

We, as a people, need to be ever vigilant and to hold our leaders accountable to us. To make every effort, no matter your political party, to help keep this country safe and prosperous and the land of the free.

Don't let the lives of all the people we have lost from 9/11 and soldiers who have lost their lives be not in vain. We are a GREAT nation. A PROUD nation. But we have a long way to go yet. We're not perfect, and we may not always be right. We will still make mistakes as a people. And our rights and beliefs are what makes us who we are.

One Nation, Under God, With Liberty and Justice for All.

I still shed tears today. As the song goes, I'm Proud To Be An American.