"Where were you when the world stopped turning, on that September day...." so begins Alan Jackson's song commemorating the loss Americans faced on September 11, 2001.
I was driving to the barn this morning to tend my horses when this song came on the radio and sent my thoughts back through the years to that morning almost thirteen years ago.
I was working from my home office that day. Coming across the living room, I could see the MSNBC Home Page on my PC. It looked like a building fire and the headline said a plane had hit the WTC Tower. I thought a small plane like a Cessna had crashed and turned on the TV to see if people were okay. As I sat to watch the report, the world changed forever....
Now, Americans can see the changes that were wrought that day. Some for the better and some not so. If we, as Americans, want to pass on the traditions of our childhood to the generations to come, we need to stand up now and make some changes in our lives.
There are so many groups that are separated from other groups by ideology. There are groups that hate other groups because they are different. There are groups that want to win so badly that they will lie about those who disagree with them....this HAS to stop.
We ALL have too much at stake to continue on with this acrimonious environment. America has for centuries been the shining example. The one bright light held up for all to reach for across a world that was ever changing. Americans were the bravest, the best, heroes larger than life.
Today, we have become "R" or "D"; white or black or brown; Christian or Jew; left or right; straight or gay. No more. We have more in common that brings us together than we have to drive us apart. America's best days and best citizens are before her. Look at your neighbor, your colleague, your friend and think about the gifts of Liberty we have that others only wish for.
America is the "land of opportunity" and we have the ability to work for the life we want. We can dream of what we want our life to be and then work to create for real, that picture in our heads. We don't need "universal health-care" or a "welfare state". We don't need bailouts or handouts or an "escape" - we have the freedom to be whatever we want. That is a great gift - a miracle for some.
With that possibility and promise of success through hard work comes responsibility too. Because we have opportunity and the ability to rise above circumstance, we also have risk. We might fail. We might not reach our ultimate goal. That is true.
Some will fail to reach their goal. Some may be hurt by that failure. Some may be crushed. Some will be galvanized by that failure to even greater success. It all depends on YOUR attitude.
You can fail and say "poor me, it isn't fair. I should have won and someone should make it okay for me". You can wallow in that for your lifetime. A bitter, angry shell of what you were meant to be.
You could, instead, use that failure to learn from and pick yourself up from your fall to move forward - smarter, stronger - and more empowered than before. Consistent action and persistent will can lead to achievement.
Which path will you choose for your life? Remember - it's not just you and your dreams on the line - you are reaching for your goal - but you are also forging a stronger country - one successful American at a time.
You could, instead, use that failure to learn from and pick yourself up from your fall to move forward - smarter, stronger - and more empowered than before. Consistent action and persistent will can lead to achievement.
Which path will you choose for your life? Remember - it's not just you and your dreams on the line - you are reaching for your goal - but you are also forging a stronger country - one successful American at a time.
