NerdyBird's blog post

I normally don't post anything about September 11th. There are so many who can say it better, who understand more and who seen to have a better grasp on what others need to hear. But, this year I can't help but be shocked by what I have read from so many people. Rather than uniting in a pain that is too huge to share, it seems that people are determined to focus on hate.

This is the first year that my daughter has been old enough to understand what happened. Her teacher was in New York on that day, and she explained how terrifying everything was. She told this class of first graders about twin explosions that shook the city and the smoke that was visible from every window near the buildings and every television across the country. But, mostly, she told the children about the men and women who didn't run away from the fire. The people who ran, instead, to help.

And so this evening, as we were getting ready for bed and talking about the day, that is what my daughter shared with me. How thankful she is to know that if something happens there are firefighters out there who will do whatever it takes, who will risk the chance of never seeing their families again, to save the people who are lost. She explained to me how brave those people who took control of the plane must have been, that even though they knew that they would not be saved, they were determined to redirect the plane. And she told me that although so many people did die, the EMT's and the doctors saved and healed every single person that they could.

Every year people are eager to remember what happened, and to point fingers at whole groups of people that they think are responsible for the actions of so few. But today a six year old little girl told me what I think we really need to remember. On this day so many years ago, there was a group of people who fought, not to spread hate but to save as many people as they could. Firefighters, police officers, EMT's, doctors, nurses and civilians who put aside their fear and, in too many cases, gave their life to dig a little deeper, to find that one last person and to bandage one more wound. And, Military men and women who have spent years, even when we have all gone back to our normal lives, ensuring that the safety we eventually began to feel again is real.

So, I just want to say thank you. To everyone who has given of yourself to protect us at home, and to everyone who has spent years abroad, thank you for all that you have done and all that you will continue to do.