Like many this morning I attended a Memorial Service for the losses we suffered 12 months ago.

The small crowd was a mixture of ordinary Americans from all walks of life. Having arrived just in time for the beginning I stood in the rear of the crowd.

I noticed something different about the group of people there. Most gatherings tend to separate into like kinds. Social groups cluster together, class, race, ethnic origin; all tend to gravitate to each other. This small group didn’t, it remained blended as it came, poured into the small area in front of a small speakers stand.

Since this is a small town I knew several people there, we nodded to one another, low voiced greetings exchanged in respect for the reason for gathering. As the speakers spoke short passages in honor of those who lost their lives we listened on silence.

A few feet in front of me a woman I don’t know stood in the press of the crowd. She had an infant on her hip, diaper bag, and a small girl, about five years old in hand. She was obviously dressed for work, scrubs on, a nametag from a nursing home pinned to her top. Near the end, as the sun rose an American Flag was to be raised by the local VFW. The small girl, having stood quietly fidgeting through the speaking and prayers tugged on the woman’s pants leg. In the ‘whisper’ small children she informed the woman, “Mama, I can’t see.”

Next to her was a large man, worn work clothes, hard hat in hand with the standard issue stickers, American Flags, “Made in America, and damned proud of it”. You know the type.

Leaning over he put his hard hat down, picked the child up and set her on his shoulder.

By now you are asking, “So what? Not that strange.”

You see; I know this man, his opinions of African Americans is extremely politically incorrect.

The mother and child were African American.

That simple act of kindness, extended in that manner gives me hope. A sign of what we can be, and are in times of crises. We’re all in this together. As usual it took an act of utter depravity to bring it out, but as citizens of this country, down deep where it really counts we know it. We stand together, or fall divided.

When some lunatic with a car bomb, 50 Pounds of Semtex strapped to his body, Bio-Toxins or a Jumbo Jet commits acts of senseless horror on us, it makes no difference who we are. We suffer the same fate together, we grieve, suffer horrible injury and some die together.

What is our crime? We believe in freedom, to speak, to live, to worship as we choose. To some that is an intolerable violation of their view of a twisted version of a decent and loving religion.
So be it, but be warned if you choose to attack. As that man helped that child he would have ignored before, that says all you need to know about us.

We do stand together, we might squabble among ourselves, but threaten what we have sacrificed so much for and you face the might and wrath of a united Nation.

And then may God have mercy on you, because you are about to meet him face to face.

I know someone will have to point out a politically correct version of this. No matter, those of us out here in the real world know what it takes. Sometimes you have to fight, or die.