remembering

On this day nine years ago, we were leaving Orlando and heard from Sally on the phone about the first attack. We tuned into the radio and kept up with the news for the long drive back. The words I kept repeating were, "This is the worst thing that has happened to America in my lifetime." I wondered if we would make it home and if there would be other attacks. Raymond, the soldier, knew instinctively what was going on. At each place we stopped, numbed people were gathered around small televisions watching the news over and over in disbelief. We knew someone terribly hated us. That is part of my memory of the day. We all remember and have a story to tell about it. But what have we - the 200 million of us who can vote - learned? On that day in 2001 and for weeks afterward, we were comforted by the strength and leadership of our American president and the American mayor. We were united for a while against a common enemy. We know the enemy is still out there, but now I wonder...are we on the verge of handing them the keys to the city?