4 planes

9/11

I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, what I was wearing.  After waking up early with my boys, the morning news was on TV.  The reports started coming across that a plane had hit one of the towers.  And then another.  I remember running upstairs to wake up my now ex-husband.  “We’re under attack!” I said to him.  Groggy from working a night shift, he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying.  After all, who would attack the USA on her own soil.  I repeated, “We’re under attack.  They’re flying planes into buildings.”  We rush downstairs to sit in front of the TV, dumbfounded as to what we were watching.  Death. Over and over and over.  Tears streaming down my face, helpless.

9/12

And then, between the death and destruction, people searching for family who would never be found, and sadness so profound, something incredible happened.  America came together.  Flags flying everywhere you looked.  Stranger comforted stranger.  Neighbor helped neighbor.  Our hearts were filled with sadness, compassion, and pride.

There was no black, white, or brown.  We were red white and blue. 
There was no rich or poor.  We gave what we could; time, money, blood.
There was no Democrat or Republican.  We were American.

One country, indivisible.

Here we are 17 years later, in a country that I barely recognize.  Division, hate, regression.  Some believe our flag stands for oppression.  Stranger versus stranger.  Neighbor against neighbor.  Our hearts are filled with anger, hatred, and misery.

Everything is broken down into black and white.  There is no red white and blue.
Everything is broken down into rich or poor.  The 1% versus the 99%.
Everything is broken down between Democrat and Republican.  The other side must be wrong.

I challenge you to look within and think about what went wrong. But there are 3 rules.  You cannot use the word Obama.  You cannot use the word Trump.  And you cannot blame “them”, whoever your “them” is.

Look within yourself, and tell me what you think you can do better to help return us to 9/12.  Because, after all, we can only be responsible for ourselves.

What can you do today?