Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Let Us Never Forget

Take a closer look at this picture. (click on it, and it will enlarge)

It's made of ice. I had to pass it along because (1) it's amazing, and (2) it struck me as the perfect example of what happens when tragedy strikes. Think back, won't you, to the moment when you heard that airplanes had struck the twin towers. Remember the moment when you turned on the TV and saw those horrifying images for the first time; fireballs, shattered glass, stunned New Yorkers stumbling away from the scene, covered in ash.

Frozen by shock and fear, weren't you? Disbelieving, stunned, horrified. Americans had been attacked on our own soil, using our own airplanes, and thousands of people had lost their lives while going about their daily business in the heart of New York City. The entire country, for a brief time, was united in outrage and filled with a sense of patriotism that had flags flying and hearts soaring.

And then what happened? We forgot. We let that sense of urgency and unity melt away under the more mundane cares of daily life, and we let ourselves become divided politically and personally, arguing with our neighbor over whose fault it was and which President should be held responsible.

I don't know when this ice sculpture was made. 2001? 2002? It's long since melted away, I'm sure, but the sentiment behind it shouldn't be. Take a moment today and remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, those who struggled so valiantly to save them, and those who, right now, are risking their lives to ensure it never happens again.

Don't you think that's something worth remembering?

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