Remembering...

I woke up this morning feeling a little melancholic.  Today being September 11th immediately had me thinking of that terrible day and the stun and disbelief we, the nation, had in 2001.  The Twin Towers have a special place for Andy and I as they, in part, were responsible for the reconciliation of our relationship and ultimately of our marriage.  We just celebrated our 16th Anniversary on September 3rd.

The short story is that I won an all-expenses paid trip to New York and the hotel was the Marriott at the Twin Towers.  Nested between the two massive towers, this hotel was the place that Andy met my best friend Rhonda and I to take us to the Statue of Liberty.  This was almost a year to-the-date of our first date (that lasted about five days and is another story all together!).  But we weren't strong enough for a long distance relationship and had a lot of growing up to do.

I had never been to New York City and frankly it wasn't high on my bucket list.  Even though we weren't a couple, I had always promised Andy that he could take me to the Statue of Liberty.  To make a long story short, we made up and enjoyed breakfast the next day after talking all night, at the Windows to the World restaurant that revolved atop one of the towers.

Watching the destruction of the towers nine years ago and the nation move into a mass psychological depression weighs just as heavy on my chest today as it did then.  The mere date of 9/11 supersedes any happy events that may have occurred on this date in the years prior to this disaster or even at the Twin Towers.  I feel bad for those who have birthdays, anniversaries or any life landmarks that occupy that date.

To everyone who lost someone in that tragic day, my heart continues to go out to you.  To my dear friends Jon Neustedter, Kenny Simon, all of the colleagues with us in "Siebel City" as the reports came in -- I am thinking about you.

I pray that everyone remembers the teachings of their respective religions.  Jesus taught compassion and forgiveness. Buddhism views forgiveness as a practice to remove emotions that would cause a lasting unhealthy effect on our Karma. Sikhism sees forgiveness as a remedy to anger that generates peace and tranquility. In Judaism, forgiveness is considered a pious act -- you are religiously bound to forgive.  Islam is a derivation of the word peace (Semitic word slm) and forgiveness is a prerequisite for peace.

Let us honor today with prayers of peace and forgiveness and not acts of hatred.