Today We Remember

Labor Day conversation, a backyard campfire, wine, and Irish beer ... the night was cool enough to drive the mosquitoes away and clear enough for the stars alone to light the sky. We talked, wondering aloud together about allegiance to America: What did we really think about being Americans? First thoughts were harsh: our politics run counter to Mr. Bush, his gang, and the bungling governance they inflict on a nation of people - at least half of whom trusted him once. We had not seen his worst - Katrina was still to come. And yet even so, then as now, when the wrangling wanes and dew begins to settle on morning embers from a fire the night before, we know ... we are proud to be Americans. Let difficult days teach us.

Today I am remembering Americans - all of them/us. We are 9/11 then and now. We are New Orleans now and for all the days to come. We are those who have suffered loss and those who comfort. We are women and men who serve in hundreds of thousands of ways to make America a strong nation. We are doing so even now.

For all that he is (and is not), Mr. Bush is only one American. WE, on the other hand, are a NATION.





technorati tags: 9/11, Americans, Remembrance