America

September 11 seemed to go by so quickly. I was listening to the Glenn Beck show for the third day - love it (and I never thought I'd ever listen to talk radio!) - and in so doing was challenged to live as we did on September 12, 2000. I thought about it. Back then we were a country of renewed patriotism. Back then we willingly rendered a heightened level of kindness & support. Back then we reflected on what really mattered in life. We were united. We stopped to smell the roses so to speak. Yet, he said, so many of us have sadly converted back to living as we did September 10, 2000. Wow! Sadly, I had to admit that I had faltered in some areas...

So...it's OK my yard doesn't look like a covershoot - it's pretty darn fine the way it is and I'm grateful for a home to live in! It's OK if Maiya's markered-walls stay that way for a few days - that's why Magic Erasers were invented to use at 4:00 AM because that's the only time I can do it! It's OK to let the dirty dinner dishes crust on the table while we walk the kids to the park around the corner - the dishes won't grow mold but the kids will grow up. It's OK to spend a valuable 15 minutes to journal what the kids did or said that day - we'll laugh for another 15 minutes re-reading it 15 years from now! (Look what I'll miss if I don't write it down?) It's OK to be patriotic, and like Beck said, to research why I'm "FOR" someone rather than rallying "AGAINST" someone. It's OK to remember those who have died for our country - it's forgetting them and what they have fought and continue to fight for that contributes to today's attitudes.

I love America. I love the traditional values that our beloved country was founded upon. I love freedom. I love those who matter most in my life.