By Darlene VannEDGEWATER, Fla. -- A friend called me earlier and asked me if I knew what today's date is?
Since I haven’t been working, I usually am lucky if I know what day of the week it is let alone the date. My friend was distressed that I didn’t know that the date is the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Had I known what today’s date was I would have known what he was referring to.
I wonder how many others don’t know or care what today signifies. Some people were not old enough to understand at the time what was happenig, and if not immediately affected by a loss in their family, are not aware why they should care about the date. Anyone who lived through that awful day and the following days and weeks of searching through ruble for body parts will never forget it.
The sight of those planes crashing into the towers is indelibly etched in all our minds as were the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Democratic Party presidential frontrunner Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Those events will forever be such as we never want to see again.
Sadly, the world is not cooperating because such horrors continue today. The world over, people are being slaughtered by their own leaders as in Syria. Al-Qaeda remains a huge threat to anyone who does not belong to their way of thinking. Bin Laden may be dead, but the organization itself thrives nonetheless. No one is safe anywhere today.
We in the United States always felt sad for those in war-torn countries and never thought such horror would step foot on our land. We were so wrong.
Now we are constantly reminded that we must be on alert. We are to report strange packages left alone or our neighbors’ actions that cause suspicions. Sounds like Nazi Germany to me and I don’t want to live in fear or be suspicious of everyone around me, but apparently to be assured of my safety I must.
There should be some sort of official day of remembrance for all those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001. I’m not sure if it should be an official federal and state holiday or just how we should mark the day but mark it we should. We should educate those who don’t know the story lest it repeats itself in the future.
Be sure you haven’t and don’t forget the sacrifice of the first responders as well as the innocent lives lost on the planes as well as in the towers.
It could have been any one of us and still could be if we aren’t watchful of our surroundings.
Be safe today and say a prayer for those souls and those they left behind.
Mark the day in your own way, but please don’t forget it.