Remembering 9/11- Bruised but Never Beaten

We all remember where we were. Here, on the West Coast, it was 5:46 AM and I was at the gym in Kent, WA, sweating on a cross-trainer and watching the news on a row of T.V.'s hanging from the ceiling over the racquetball courts.

By the time my workout was finished, both towers had been hit. Fear, anguish, smoke and grief dominated every media source from coast to coast. America and her way of life (Free Trade) had been attacked.

I arrived at work (a fireplace & garage door installation company) in total shock.  The stunned look in the eyes of our crews as they milled around the warehouse doors seemed to beg in unison, "What do we do now?"

 I remember suggesting to the owner that we call everyone together for a few minutes and address what had happened.

I told them that the terrorists hate our freedom to pursue life, liberty & happiness.  They hate our freedom to choose how & who we worship.  They hate our freedom to prosper, grow & gain wealth.

But victory, for them, will only be attainable if we stop doing what they hate so much; if we stop practicing our freedom to live our lives, do our work and provide for our families.  We need to load our trucks, meet our schedules and fill our orders.  We need to show the world that we may be bruised, but we are not beaten.

14 years later, we pause to remember some 3000 souls that lost their lives that morning.  We remember the nearly 5000 brave American servicemen & women who have given their lives defending our freedom since that day. Our freedom IS NOT FREE.

I had planned on tying this article into a graphic showing how much money the sale or purchase of a home boosts the local economy but it does not seem appropriate this morning.

After my brave speech to our crew that morning, I went about my day and went home to my family. We sat on the couch, glued to the news broadcasts... and I wept for our country.

Some things have not changed...