Some sentiments of the day, very fitting! ----- Original Message ----- From: "J Philpot" <unicorn@sun-spot.com> To: <Sundayrocking@topica.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 8:52 PM Subject: Beginning > Sunday Afternoon Rocking > > Generally you receive one message per week from Sunday Afternoon > Rocking. But like many of you, probably all of you, my heart is heavy > tonight, and there are words that want to be said. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > We search our family trees, and we find with pride those who have fought > and won a nation, whether they carved it from a wilderness, or they fought > in a war to make it free, or to keep it so. We join our organizations and > proudly declare that we are sons and daughters of the Revolutionary > soldiers who shed the blood that stained the stripes of our flag. We join > our organizations and proudly attest to those who fought in war after war > for this country. We document them in our genealogies, we collect the > papers that attest to proof. We "assume" those days are past, but we pay > homage to those who lived it. > > We have enjoyed our liberties, we have taken our security for granted. We > go about our business each day and never worry about our home burnt in our > absence, never stop to think our schools might close tomorrow, never dream > that a barrier of strange soldiers might suddenly divide our community and > keep us from reaching our destination or returning home in the evening. We > never have to instruct our children how to return home most safely in the > afternoon should bullets be flying on our streets. We never see them off in > the morning and truly wonder if we will ever see them again. We never think > of our citizens being rounded up into the backs of trucks or in rail cars, > pushed and shoved until there is barely space to breathe or stand, and > being carted away to some prison camp for civilians. We never dream of our > schools being turned into hospitals for victims of war, never dream of some > part of our community suddenly running red with the blood of a battle. And > it is so because countless young men generation after generation haven > given their own blood that ours might not be shed. It is because young men > no older than many of our own sons gave up their own chances to enjoy life, > a marriage, children, fulfillment...to answer the call of a country. > Amazing to realize we owe what we have to countless young men, most of whom > were mere teens or in their early twenties. > > Today we saw an attack on our own soil such as is unprecidented in the > history of this great nation, one of the "safest" on earth. Our young men > in the military could not help us today, because the attack was the attack > of cowards. " They", who ever that might be, did not attack our military, > they gave no warning. They declared war on babies and children, on men and > women visiting kindred and conducting everyday business. They did not give > us a name to retaliate against, or to protect ourselves from. They did > their evil deed to the most helpless of our country, and scuttled back > again into the darkness they emerged from. > > Today it is time to realize that what we have taken for granted we can no > longer take for granted. What we have neglected to remember we can no > longer neglect to remember. What we have assumed will be our personal > future can no longer be assumed. If there is a time for all of our country > to forget its differences, and remember why we are all huddled together on > this great continent, it is now. If ever there was a time to remember that > what brought us to this country was the promise of what we have lived, of > what we have enjoyed the security of, all of us, it is now. There is no > longer a time for religious differences, or cultural differences, for > racial differences or socioeconomic differences. Right now no matter our > color, no matter our creed, no matter our differences, we are "in the same > boat". We are Americans. Our freedom has been spat upon, our citizens > terrified. Our "safe place" has been terrorized. And when there is no where > else to turn, when we cannot fight the enemy because the enemy has chosen > cowardice in the form of its attack, when humanity has no answers, there is > but one place to turn. All of us, in national prayer can awaken a nation, > can lean on the God who is bigger than any unidentified terrorist. And we > can grasp hands together, as Americans, stand proudly with the God we have > called upon, and let that God turn this tragedy into a blessing. A friend > sent me a link when I was feeling the most bleak, and here is how we can > all begin, in prayer. Here it is: http://www.mamarocks.com/national_prayer.htm > > ============================================================ > Explore the jungle in your backyard -- FREE! eNature has > bird sounds, Animal Finder, Field Guides, experts, activities > and more for a suburban safari you'll never forget. > http://click.topica.com/caaac1Nb1dissb2IBOaf/eNature > ============================================================ > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > (Note: Afternoon Rocking messages are meant to be passed on, meant to be shared...simply share as written without alterations...and in entirety. > Thanks, jan) > > Sunday Afternoon Rocking columns are distributed weekly on the list Sunday Rocking. This is not a "reply to" list, and normally only one message per week will come across it, that being the column. To subscribe send email to > Sundayrocking-subscribe@topica.com > > Comments about the content of these messages can be sent to unicorn@sun-spot.com > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > _________________________________________________ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==^================================================================ > EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1diss.b2IBOa > Or send an email To: sundayrocking-unsubscribe@topica.com > This email was sent to: ljaschke@swbell.net > > T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! > http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register > ==^================================================================ >