I remember.... but do you?

I remember that day, 17 years ago.  I remember watching in disbelief at 23 years old wondering how something like this would happen in my adult life.  All of these people are running, scared.  We were actually unable to protect ourselves.  We, as a United States were scared.  I remember being scared.  We went to work, scared.  People who owned our company were no longer alive, the paperwork was strewn about on the streets like trash.  What was going to happen to us?  What about all of those people?  How would they get out?  Who did this?  All of those people.  All of those poor people.  I cried.  

Planes crashed, towers collapsed, people died.  It was devastating.  2,996 people lost their lives and so many more were injured.  However, many people lived.  People lived.  Not just white people or rich people or black people.  People lived.  So many people lived through the help of so many others.  The all lived because they came together.  A white person stood next to a black person who was next to an asian person and all three of them were covered in soot.  The police officer escorted them all into an evacuation facility, but was one more important than another?  No, not at all.  United States flags were everywhere that the eye could see.  Communities came together to be one.  Our children we being taught about how wonderful it was to be a proud American.

During those moments of 9/11/2001 our country came together.  No one was protesting our flag or our country.  No one was protesting the first responders, or police on the scene.  We all stood together and helped one another.  We sang together, prayed together and we became American Brothers and Sisters.  Our country became strong.  We were one United Force, no one was a Democrat or Republican that day, we were Americans.  When the Firefighters lifted up the flag, we didn't kneel or argue; we cried and prayed for some shred of hope that there would be life left under the piles of rubble.  Our America came together as we all should daily to be a United States of greater good.  

Hope became the word that was spoken so much during that time.  So many people lost their loved ones and so many still believed in the humanity of togetherness.  Bill Clinton even visited the site and when asked if we should invade Afghanistan his response was, "we should wait until the President makes the decision after investigating the incident."  He respected our government.  There was no name calling or slinging from one party to another.  He proved that we can come together and have stood together.  If a protest started the people found a way to come together and get a long, they literally cried and hugged finding peace in their situation.  

Today, our world is different.  We argue about votes or government parties or shoes or the national anthem.  Since when was America such a horrible place to live?  At what point in the last 17 years did our country take such a bad turn that almost everything you read or listen to is so filled with hate.  We have to shield our children from most of the news and media because we don't want our children to see how America is now.  How awful our America has become in just 17 years.  It's almost as if the terror attacks brought us closer in a crazy way and enhanced all of the goodness in our country.  

I want to live in the United States that I lived in on 9/12/2001.  I fly my American Flag several times a year and very proudly so.  I don't want athletes to whine about oppression or disrespect our police and first responders.  I want our United States to be United again.  I want my children to be able to live in America like it was and be proud to be an American again.  Smile at your neighbor and don't avoid them because you know they voted for Hilary or Trump.  Make peace and know that we can be a United States as we were if we all stand together and all help one another.  Pray together, live together and be proud together.  Make sure that you always remember, because I will never forget.