9/11 reflections

I didn't want to let the date pass without some comment and reflection. So once again we break topic.

I still feel the sting and utter disbelief at what happened that day. That alone makes me angry; it was a complete surprise, at least to most of us. I like to think of myself as a cynical journalist who's never shocked or surprised, but 9/11 was a sucker punch in the breadbasket. Knocked the wind right out of me.

I hate when that happens.

Then I feel guilty, as if I don't have a right to be so angry since I wasn't directly acquainted with any of the victims. As if I was stealing the more righteous anger from those more tangibly affected. So many victims; so many more family and friends left to mourn.

It's all a little irrational, I understand. We all have a right to feel angry, and a little afraid. Agression aimed at your life can mess with the best of us. But one of our most admirable qualities as Americans is our capacity to come together and be at our very best when things get tough. So together, we honor our dead, and we fight back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not for the war we find ourselves in. Things need to change; the fighting has to stop. But we were attacked. They did declare war. And, as my stepson, Cyle, told me, "I'd rather fight them over there than over here."

I listen to Cyle in matters such as this. He may be a few years shy of 30, but he's done two tours in Iraq, and he's headed back to the Middle East any day now. For maybe a year.

So I listen. And I wonder, how did our parents ever cope with World War II? And I remember--we're at our best when things get tough.

It's not so bad, really. It's just our turn to be strong. We can get through this if we stick together.

And so I wish strength to all of you, the family and friends of 9/11 victims, the family and friends of soldiers killed or injured in this damnable war, and the rest of you who just need a little hope to get through the day. Fight back in your own way. Live the life you choose. Be a proud American. Do something to make it better.

And those who hate our way of life, they really hate when that happens.