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Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attack. And, to my estimation of news coverage and community events, it was not as marked an occasion compared to those in the last five years. And, that’s probably a good thing. It is human nature to persevere; to survive, we must move forward.
As you read this, my nephew is being deployed to Iraq. He is 18 years old. So, in spite of recognizing our Darwinian nature, I can't help but be thoughtful now about his and many others' service to our country. How can we here at home manage our daily lives and also remember that on one of our nations' darkest days, Americans re-established our collective conscience and fortitude with displays of awesome heroism and bravery in the midst of great tragedy?
Mary Anne Radmacher said, "Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"
While the fight for life on the day of or since the World Trade Center attacks cannot be compared to or minimized, we still can use the remembrance to notice the small acts of heroism our friends and family - and we ourselves - commit on a daily basis.
Some days just getting up in the morning is a heroic act; not yelling when our father who had a stroke won’t let us bathe him; staying calm when our child with ADHD won’t sit still and finish her homework; listening to our spouse when “discussing” a treatment for our child with special needs when we want to just do it our way; paying humble attention when a teacher has some useful criticism. A father and a mother stay attentive to their other children in the face of deafening grief over the loss of another child. These are each acts of heroism. These do not diminish the great acts of bravery and sacrifice our troops face still to this day. Instead, may we honor those who gave their lives for us then and now by acting with equal determination when small opportunities present themselves. |
