Thoughts on September 11

Am I the only person who finds this anniversary different than the others? I find myself longing for the pre-9/11 world. After a long talk with one of my sons, I am overcome by the awareness that he does not remember that world. Gone are the days of just hopping over the border for a quick trip to the Vancouver aquarium. Gone are the days when my friend’s religion did not secretly leave me wondering in the pit of my stomach just how she planned on achieving the “peace” she desires. I am painfully aware that others see my own religion as a potential for threat.

How sad.

And how sad that this day which once brought a nation together, this year finds us divided in many ways.

Perhaps it is my age that is showing in this odd malaise. I can remember my mother saying that she’d never wanted to raise a child in “this world.” (I was a shock and an mildly unpleasant surprise.) I wonder what she would have thought of the world in which I’m raising my children. Well, she never did think I was very bright.

Today, I mourn the loss of many lives, but also the loss of a way of life that died that day, eroded from the inside out as the fuel of hatred and distrust dripped far beyond the terrorists’ intent.

Tomorrow, I’ll go back to fighting for the joy I believe in.