Heroes

I don’t think there is a right way to say what’s going on in my mind about the ignoble anniversary that comes up this week. There’s just no doubt about it, Sept. 11, 2001, is a date that will burn forever in our hearts and fears.

My inclination is to write about the negative things that came about after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but we write about that stuff every week, in some form or another. Anniversaries are days to commemorate events.

There are things worth remembering about that day two years ago. There was bravery and sacrifice. With luck, someday Sept. 11 will come to evoke something other than the day some hate mongers sucker-punched America.

I wonder how many things we believed were changed forever have returned to their pre-9/11 status.

I remember that our country saw with sudden clarity the real sacrifices people sometimes make for strangers. We swore we would never forget those gifts. Firefighters were suddenly recognized and remembered as everyday heroes. Their bravery was heralded across the land. I wonder when readers last thought to contribute to a scholarship fund for the children of firefighters who died in the line of duty.

I wonder, too, if charity coffers are filling at the same rate they were in those post 9/11 days. At the time, many people said we were on the verge of a great spiritual awakening, and the places of worship were filled to capacity. I guess when we talk about commemorating Sept. 11, 2001, we can remember that brief shining dawn after the dark when charity truly began at home.

I hope folks remember the people who died, not as victims, but as people who lived, loved and worked on Sept. 10. We need to remember them as people who chose to live freely, rather than people who had their right to life stolen by an evil man.