Here's What I Know For Sure

Today was an unseasonably, beautiful day in Houston, Texas. Our air is usually thick by now, with the heaviness of the moisture hanging in the air, but today it was breezy, cool, with windows open, the coolness wafted in the house. What can be oppressive, today felt like sweet relief.
I found that interesting considering the history we were all living. I found it to be a divine intervention of sorts. I saw it as a sign.
Today we remembered our dead, our sacrificed, that in the recent past wandered our country like the lost souls they were. They died in tragedy, in hopelessness, in agony. Every type of American was killed on September 11, 2001, from the aged to the infants, every shape, size, race, creed, and religion died on that day and on foreign soil since. I remember how we all wanted, begged for, demanded that we stay present, ever watchful for any hope of capture of a terrorist who tried to destroy the America we have loved our entire lives. We waited, sometimes impatiently, but always vigilant, keeping constant our demand on our government that they not forget, that we as a people not forget those we lost on that fateful day, and in war.
Friday the world celebrated a wedding, a joining of two people, who happened to be born into power. John Paul, who pushed hard for the church, his and mine, to begin to see the world as one, rather than as separate, was celebrated for his contribution in love. And today we got to lay our dead to rest... finally.
I know we all heard the whispers of those who were lost in the turmoil, the tumult, the disaster. We all bore witness to the abject horrified terror that had been inflicted on the innocent. It now gets to become our history, rather than part of our present. Yes, we are still at risk, but the message we have sent to those who would try and harm us is clear. We will wait, we will search, we will get justice for those who cannot represent themselves. We will not forget.
Any president would have handed down the order. Two presidents, who have little in common, had a singular goal for the people they serve. It was not Congress, or the President who brought us our justice, who honored our dead, it was us. The special forces, the navy seals, the people gathering intelligence, they are not famous, or powerful, they are us. They risked life and limb, just as the fire fighters did, just as the armed forces did, in order to release our tortured souls. They heard the demands of the rest of us, the whispers of the dead, the promise that was made on their behalf to make this right.
So this is what I know for sure, although this is not the end of things, what I feel is, it is a new beginning. For those who thought we were short sighted, small minded and would forget the promise we made, today showed that we are not a people who lose sight of what is important. We, Americans, are patient, resilient, and mindful of what our duties are, and the debts we know we must repay.
I did not dance in the street over a dead terrorist, who disrespected life, honor and love. What I did do was give up my gratitude for every man, woman and child who was sacrificed. I prayed for every soldier who boarded a plane as one person to land in sand becoming another. I felt great solace in my heart, the powerful feeling of peace, that the promise had been fulfilled, the souls had been released and the love, the pure love was what would continue for God, country and people.
I remain humbled, awe struck by the amount of generosity, heart-felt good wishes and sense of duty the people in this country feel, and act on.
While the military remains on the job, working tirelessly, day and night in a foreign land, to push the last of the hatred out to sea, we can wake up tomorrow and get back to doing what we always do; looking to those who need our help and give what we can. Hang on Alabama, we are on our way. We did not forget.