This day of the year always brings a heavy heart. The memory takes me back to sitting in the President’s Office at Young Harris College, preparing to give an eager young student a campus tour. Then everything changed in an instant.
That Moment
The President of the college called us all into his office and we huddled around his office speaker as his wife held the phone up to the TV. That moment directionally changed our nation forever. It was a defining point that shifted the course of American history.
Lost Unity
Subsequently, it was the last time I remember unity in this nation. We came together as one people, setting aside our differences to support each other through unimaginable grief and uncertainty.
Today’s Reality
Today is a little different and highlights the fact that the few have driven a wedge between the many. Division has crept into spaces where solidarity once lived, creating fractures in the fabric that once bound us together.
Hope Forward
They won’t win and violence is never an appropriate response to anything. Despite the challenges we face, the spirit that united us then still exists within us now.
Conclusion
As we remember this solemn day, we’re reminded of both our capacity for unity and our vulnerability to division. The images of Americans helping Americans, regardless of background or belief, show us who we truly are at our core. That same strength and compassion that emerged from tragedy still lives within us today.
Thoughts and prayers go out today on many levels.