September 11... A Year Has Passed

This day is too great to be fathomed, too sad to be surmised, too fresh to be healed. This year has been as full of hours and moments, events and passages as any other. One year has passed and yet this day seems impossible; how can it be one year since we bore witness to anguish and fear, confusion and determination?

For weeks and months the grief was at the very surface of every breath. And now? I know where the pain is; there is a hollow pit where the sadness and dismay are a gnawing ache, and circling my head are the fears and questions that go unanswered, unquieted. I have cried and mourned, cooked and cleaned, laughed and remembered, but how can it be a year since our lives were forever altered?

I still grieve for all that was lost. I still grieve for the people who long to feel relief; to feel their pain subside. I grieve for the individuals who were so blinded by hate and ignorance that they sought to destroy what they could not comprehend, what they could not believe in. I grieve for the men and women still living who cannot enjoy freedom, who value acrimony over reason, and who perpetuate ignorance, fear and hostility.

When I hear someone say: "God Bless America," I think, we are blessed already; let's fulfill the power of our blessings and work for a world where all people may live with hope, faith, love and charity. May my deeds and thoughts, my truest moments, reflect the deep caring I feel for those who have lost and for those dedicated men and women who are still giving. May we all continue to find the resolve to share our strengths and resources, our faith in freedom and equality. And may we recognize the true worth of this nation: we are rich in potential and ideals that can overcome prejudice, ignorance and despair. May we acknowledge the world; it is full of caring, thoughtful people.

Thank God a year has passed. Thank God we are still here and we still have the chance to share happiness and memories and love. Thank God we can do the silliest things, make the most sublime gestures and witness the intangible essence of what makes our lives a pleasure. If we cannot give thanks for all that is good, if we cannot live fully and strive to help others fulfill their potential, then September 11th will be a complete tragedy. We are meant to make this world a better place; our lives are meant to be forever altered, so that we may honor the lives of men and women and children who cannot be here.