Monday Musings...
During the past couple days, I'm sure many of you had time to reflect on the events of 9/11, as well as watch some of the programs pertaining to the day itself, be they historical in nature, or commemorative.
I know I was, and there was one woman I saw on TV, who summed it all up in one of the MOST succinct and comprehensive ways.
She said "Don't make this a HOLIDAY, but keep it as a day of remembrance".
And you know what? I agree with her 100%.
Lord knows we have enough holidays already, replete with all the "sales" that accompany them.
September 11th needs to be one of those days without ANY sale of any kind.
No commercialization, no fanfare...no one making money off of it (unless it's a donation to an organization helping the victims of that day or funding the memorials)...period.
Now, with that being said, something else comes to mind when thinking about that day.
People left behind when their loved ones perished are still mourning...still getting over the loss, and I can certainly understand such loss.
I've lost my share of loved ones, be they family, friends, neighbors, or even co-workers over the decades.
And with each passing, it doesn't get one bit easier.
Some might even say that after a time, you grow numb to the losses as they pile up. You learn to live with it.
Maybe that's what it appears to look like on the outside, but how one feels inside determines much more.
Every day, I see my Mom & Dad's pictures in our house, and I still feel the loss.
Then some vivid memory comes to mind; a good memory, and with it, a smile on my face.
I set my sights on being the type of person they would want me to be...that helps me to focus...to ground myself, as it were.
Shakespeare once said that "The evil men do lives after them...".
Such can also be said of the GOOD people do...THAT lives after them JUST AS MUCH.
And quite often, the GOOD is what people will tend to remember FAR longer...and with the purpose of continuing such goodness.
My pastor once said to me that (aside from the Biblical "Armor of God") you WEAR your LIFE like a suit of clothing...
How you "dress" yourself is how people will see you.
How you look determines how you will act.
Your life is a compilation and continuation of ALL the experiences you've encountered to date, gleaned from every person you've come into contact with, especially by your parents.
(and this is a two-way street as well...others will glean something from you and your life without your knowledge)
Sure, everyone has flaws, but they also are very capable of much good, and THAT is what we all basically are trying to take away from those we encounter in our lives.
We may swear like a longshoreman, but we will also open a door for a person because it's just a good thing to do.
We often do it without thinking, and that's the best kind of good we can pass along.
And, many times, we learned such seemingly small things from our parents.
Throughout time, the "baton" has always been passed to that next generation with the hope that what was learned will be passed forward.
Sometimes, we run with it, while other times we drop the damn thing and stumble.
Well, that's just life reminding us that we need to slow down and pay attention.
We get up and get back in that darn race, if we want to honor our parents, our mentors, and even ourselves.
I suppose this past 9/11 just got me in a pensive and reflective mood...and that's good (for me).
Every day we are given to live is a journey into the unknown, and we'd best be careful to peer ahead and see those few paces down the road ahead of us, so our footfalls have that purpose and direction.
Yesterday is history to us, and today has yet to be written in our own books of life.
We can dwell on that past and cloud our vision of today and tomorrow, or we can take what we learned from that yesterday, and APPLY it to this day, as well as subsequent days. That gets our feet on a lot better ground for the journey ahead.
I choose to carry a piece OF those yesterdays with me, as a reminder of where I came from, in order to make sure the way through this day and into all those tomorrows.

It's kind of a compass...pointing the way.
And God knows in today's world, it's WAY too easy to get ourselves LOST.
We've too many things that are more than willing to distract us from our path.
It's at those times, we need to be able to discern that which is GOOD from that which is BAD.
All too often, those lines become blurred, because in times past, what used to be "bad", has been deemed "acceptable".
We need to pause...and remember...remember WHO we are, HOW we got to this point, WHERE we plan to go, WHY we are headed that way, and WHAT we need to make it there.
Sometimes it takes a day such as 9/11 to bring that all into the proper perspective.
Other times, all it takes is an old photograph in an aged frame.
...And fond memories.
You can't go wrong with THAT on your side, can you?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.