My wife and I ended a wonderful stay at the Belterra casino the morning of the 11th, wakeing to a new world. As this 3rd day starts for me, a bit late in the day, I have come to realize our lives will never be the same.
We were fortunate not to have lost any friends or loved ones to this senseless act of terrorism and cowardness, but the pain experienced by people we may never know has changed our lives forever. I have sat here , somewhat glued to the news which continues to broadcast both the trajedy and the heroism shared by Americans throught the U.S. and I cannot hold back the tears of saddness and pride that fill my heart. I hold such an empty feeling, knowing that I cannot make a difference in anyone's life to help in any measurable way at this time. I know I am not alone in feeling the pride of being an American, watching those brothers and sisters who day after day search through the rubble, and comfort and care for the sick and injured. In my 42 yrs. of life, I have never experienced so many strong emotions at one time. Though this has happened miles away from where I live, this has just as truly struck my HOME. The desire to help, and the knowledge of being unable to directly affect the relief effort is sickening. As best it is, my prayers are all I have to offer.
Let us hope that those countries we call Allies will rally by our side and support and help guide our efforts to bring justice, in whatever form, to those who are responsible for this horrendous act. Let us all pray that the vengence we seek will spare the innocent as we would have wished our innocent to have been spared. I pray that we as Americans do not dance in the streets, as did the Palastinians, for the loss of the innocent lives that will most probably come via our retribution. Never again will I be able to ignore or feel unrelated to the consequence of terrorism throught the rest of the world. No longer will I be comforted by the bliss of ignorance I once knew. This is truly a painful growth. Sept. 11th, the world became much smaller for this man and his wife in Cincinnati.