A year ago, when tragedy struck, I awoke to a beautiful sunshine filled day. I was planning on calling my Sunday School teacher...it was her birthday. When I turned on the tv, numbness & shock took over, & I couldn't manage much of anything for a while. When I rose off my knees, I saw buildings crumbling, people running everywhere, people jumping from buildings, black smoke, black, black smoke..... I was not surprised by what I saw soon after all was determined to be a terrorist attack. That first day, I saw people reaching out through their outrage--reaching out to help, caring for one another, & already on our street, our United States of America flag was being displayed on homes, ours was the fourth. I've seen patriotism grow again,... and again, I've seen young men go off to war. There has been a bond formed in our neighborhood. We now KNOW our neighbors. While we embrace all that we hold dear: our families, our freedom, our religion, our very lives, let's all strive to preserve this way of life. Hold your dear ones close, & tell them all the stories of your past, & dreams of the future. God Bless, Bettie <><