One Of My Favorite Days

Historically this was one of my favorite days. It was still a bit eerie but stands out as quite the amazing day nonetheless.

The skies were still empty. Life still was standing still for the most part.

Businesses were closed in some sectors of the country. Schools weren’t sure if they should open or close. Churches opened their doors wide up to welcome any and all who just needed some form of comfort and hope.

The dust was still covering most of Manhattan. The military mights from across the spectrum of our allied nations were jockeying for prime position to have the greatest impact of retaliation.

But more notable for me was the way we all bled the same color that day.

Today I hear a lot about blues and reds and even the blended purple of states across this nation. But that day our blood flowed the same. Our hearts beat as one.

It was cool to hear God Bless America playing in random places. People were flying the American Flag that had never flown one before. While I have no real stats on this, I’d imagine flag sales went through the roof as the entire nation became one mass of patriotism.

The day before we suffered a catastrophic blow but it wasn’t fatal. Sure thousands would lose their lives that day but the nation as a whole wasn’t crushed. We stumbled. We even fell on our face for a moment. But on 9.12 we could be seen in a kneeling posture regaining composure. We were gathering our whits and evaluating our surroundings.

Together we cared for loved ones. Together we looked out for neighbors. Together we stood to sing our national anthem. Together we paused when we saw a flag flying. Together we lifted the wounded and grieved with those who mourned.

We were stronger because we did it together.

It was truly one of my favorite days. I look around and long for that feeling again. I see how we handle election season and see how weak we’ve become. We’re not weak because we are a weak nation. We’re weak because we’re so divided. I think back to the great fall through the years of the pandemic. We suffered greatly because we didn’t do it together.

You’d think we’d learn, but I fear we’re too self absorbed to learn from one another. The best we can do is lay down our differences and put aside our agendas and focus on those around us.

It truly was one of my favorite days because we lived up to our name. Divided we will fall. But that day united we stood, stronger than ever.