There are horrific tragedies that occur daily, all over the world. So much is on the news sometimes, we become numb to it. In America, we walk around with freedom, relative safety and comforts. Let’s face it, we are often times far removed from the daily struggles plaguing our Global neighbors. This is, after all, the greatest country in the world.
On September 11th, we were delivered a wake up call. Terrorists attacked our country on our soil. The unthinkable happened and it happened in my hometown city.
This day is always a solemn one for me. I wake up feeling the loss. The city that I grew up in and love dearly, was attacked. Our beautiful skyline, forever changed. One of my hotels, built at the bottom of the towers was destroyed when the towers collapsed killing several of my coworkers. The images of people jumping out of the tower windows as we watched helplessly, forever burned into my mind. The brave heroes on that plane. The cry of “Let’s Roll”. The Pentagon.
On that day, while I was devastated like most of you, I was also filled with so much pride. The brave citizens of New York, my city, showed what we are made of. We rose to the occasion (as did America) and showed why we are so great. We helped each other. We united.
God only knows what the future has in store for all of us. We should rise to be great every day because it’s the right thing to do, not only when tragedy strikes.
Today, I hope you will remember all of our fallen and their families. I hope you will also remember how we helped each other, the selfless bravery of so many individuals. What makes us all great.
God Bless America…..the land of the free and the home of the brave.
God bless America!!!