Patriot’s Day
A good number of us gathered around the flag pole on the Highlands Campus at 8:46 a.m. this morning to have a moment of silence to reflect and to pray. I find my own prayers and my emotions are stretched in several directions. Like most of you, my first thoughts are of the victims of that horrific day and of their families and friends and I hope and pray for them. Furthermore, I remember the courage of so many people who risked and in some cases gave their lives on September 11, 2001. Then, I consider the men and women of our military who continue to protect and defend us and our American way of life. And finally, my mind turns to the evildoers and I struggle to comprehend their motives, but I realize this is beyond my ability to grasp.
Wanita Bates, Mike McLeod, and Ben Carter all contributed to our cermony this morning. Please thank them as you see them around campus, or if you don’t see them, drop them a note of appreciation. The large turnout was important and heartwarming to see. We share in our desire to remember and in our struggle to understand.
In these current days, I feel we gravitate toward a rememberance like this morning because we choose unity over blame throwing and divisiveness. 911 was profound because we felt the hopelessness of that moment…and now we see that hope must originate from our collective fiber. We are all small sticks, bundled to create a formidable rod.