9/11 Remembered (A Day Late ... The Story of My Life)

We cannot know for certain how long we have here.

We cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that

will test us along the way.

We cannot know what God's plan is for us.

What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can

with purpose, and with love, and with joy.

We can use each day to show those who are

closest to us how much we care about them,

and treat others with the kindness

and respect that we wish for ourselves.

We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures.

And we can strive at all costs to make a better world,

so that someday, if we are blessed

with the chance to look back on our time here,

we know that we spent it well;

that we made a difference;

that our fleeting presence had a

lasting impact on the lives of others.

President Barak Obama speaking at Sen. Edward Kennedy's Funeral

I spent some time yesterday remembering the tragedy and horror of that September morning 8 years ago. However, I couldn't bring myself to watch the news or find any new words to express my thoughts.

Before I went to bed I read Dani Sutliff's "Remembering 9/11" blog post. I was moved to tears. She wrote so beautifully everything I wish I had said. When I asked her if I could re-print it here, Dani graciously gave me permission to do so. I had it all ready to go when I decided that was cheating. I want you to go to Dani's blog and get to know her. Although Wisconsin is not close to anyone or anything I know I'm trying to figure out a way to get there to visit Dani's store, Three Sisters' Spirit. From everything I read it's the kind of place I can get lost in and still go back for more.

Here's the link to Dani's blog. Please check it out.

And here's a portion of a prayer she wrote that pretty much sums things up for me:

Hold us close to your heart, Father, Mother, God,
through our tears, and through our sorrow,
may we all see a new vision of a new tomorrow.
May we always remember.

And may we also learn to live in peace,
Merry ME