Today's Throwback Thursday post was originally run on 9/11/13.
I dedicate it to the remembrance of those who lost their lives and their rights to pursue the American Dream on 9/11/01. May the promise and resolve of this great nation keep their spirits alive.
Twelve years ago today my beautiful country, America was assaulted. 911 was a horrific act of murder in a land that's built itself on the ideals of freedom, opportunity and hard work.
I remember the moment I heard the news of the attack and then witnessed the second tower falling. I watched the plane approach and explode into a fireball. My heart sank. I felt violated. I was sad, upset and outraged. How could it happen to us? Why? Writing about it still brings that a sick feeling to my stomach.
America is a beautiful country. I'm proud of what we stand for: education, freedom, success and accessibility for all. Over the years this dream, the "American Dream" has morphed: attending college, owning a home, and becoming a part of a society designed to allow us to make choices.
Neil Armstrong had a dream and he walked on the moon. Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream nearly 50 years ago and his dream has come alive. You don't have to be Neil or Dr. King to have dreams. Every day, ordinary people, American people have dreams. Here's are a few recent ones I have been inspired by:
- What's yours?
The American Dream is what we define it. It's about dreaming and thinking big and then making whatever "it" is, happen. While our politicians don't always get it right (whatever your beliefs), our principles give us the right to have our own views, choices and ideas. It's what allows us to have those dreams and to make them happen.
911 is a painful sobering reminder of what it means to be American.
The American Dream didn't die that day. It was tested. Our courage, our will, our perseverance to live the better life, is what makes this great country what it is. And those dreams, yours and mine, will continue to live on as long as we fight for the principles of freedom and justice for all.
