9 Things to Celebrate on 9/11

 

Today marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, when America was attacked by foreign terrorists. Today is usually a sad day for many of us, which is why I seriously pondered whether or not I should keep up with the daily habit of finding things to celebrate from my day. Every year that 9/11 rolls around, I don't particularly feel like celebrating. I am more reflective, observant and quiet. I take time to remember the lives of those lost, to honor the very brave first responders who risked their lives to save the people trapped in the Towers (and how some of them perished in that attempt) and to think of just how America has changed since that day. Sadly, we have turned into a divided country where everyone is at war with each other. Which is why I ended up in tears while typing a song I'd written several years ago, which is actually more of a poem. It speaks volumes of the turmoil our country is in nowadays.

But we cannot lose hope, nor can we lose the fabric that makes America the enduring and powerful country that it is: Our ability to rise above our pain. We must go on. We must continue. We must remember those lost and use the tragedy of that sad day as a reminder of just how much we all need each other, now more than ever. We need to help each other. We need to rebuild our country, rebuild our societies and make America a country we can once again be proud of. Stand tall and stand strong. We need each other. We need to be there for our brothers and sisters who we share this country with. We need to work on making our country stronger than ever and one in which a child can grow up in without the fear of another 9/11 taking place.

And don't forget to take time to celebrate the good things that happen in each day. Doing so helps us to get through the hard times, the dark times, and the times when we feel we have no one to turn to. We do, if we make the effort to be there for those who need us.

So now, after saying all that, here are 9 things I have to celebrate from my day today.


1. I started reading a new book today.

2. I completed EVERYTHING on my To Do list for today. WOO-HOO! I would have snapped a pic of it to post on here, but it was too long for a picture!

3. While I was typing my songs, I came across one that seemed to be more like a poem than a song. But I don't have a poetry book to put it into. So yay for having a poem that I can now submit somewhere!

4. Got some more writing done for something I am throwing into the new Tips book. Yay!

5. I also got extra material to add to the Tips book from author contacts.

6. I wrote a "fact sheet" for a children's book. I think it is pretty good but I am asking a few people to go over it for me first, just to be sure it's age-appropriate.

7. While I was reading a magazine today, I came across a VERY COOL space poster that was in it. That poster is now hanging on my wall! (It is the pic at the top of this blog post.)

8. I came across good articles to read about the 20th anniversary of 9/11 today.

9. I drank 10 glasses of water today.