Short Memories

Eleven years ago, our country was attacked by terrorists. Forty-nine years ago, the president was gunned down in a motorcade. Seventy-one years ago, a naval base was bombed by a totalitarian regime. There are people who are alive today that remeber where they were when these events occurred. In fact, any of us that lived through these events can remember. The most important aspect of these events, to my mind, is the public servants who stepped up during the crisis. Many lost their lives to protect us. It is they who we should remember and honor. They did their duty from the Battle of Lexington and Concord until the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's just the soldiers. We also see fire and police workers who protect us everyday. Today is set aside for special recognition of their service and sacrifice. May we remember them the other 364 days of the year as well.

Real Friends

We humans are flawed creatures. Our memories aren't always accessible. Even the most even-tempered of us can lose their cool. Real friends understand this and forgive. The pretenders are the ones who establish a pattern of selfishness. They only care about what you can do for them. In times of suffering ,as well as happiness, they are nowhere to be found. Today, on my birthday, I know who my real friends are.

Getting Older

I haven't blogged in a while, so I will do three in a row. Today's post is about my impending birthday. I turn 40 tomorrow. Physically, I have no problem believing that. Intellectually, I can process memories for most of that time. What I wrestle with is the emotional reality. It just doesn't feel like I've been alive that long. I guess I haven't experienced life as fully as I would expect from a typical 40-year old man. I hope I'm not going through a midlife crisis already.