9/11/2013


The Flag in downtown Avondale Estates

I walked to downtown Avondale Estates this afternoon to photograph and observe the city’s 9/11 memorial. To mark the occasion, the city has installed 2,983 flags, one for each of the victims in the 9/11/2001 attacks. As I made my way there, a jet pierced the clear blue sky, and I was reminded of that morning 12 years ago when hate boarded planes and filled the skies. The unimaginable became reality.

But amid the horror, Heroes overcame hate and Americans united like no other time I can recall. Our leaders even stood together. For a while, anyway. We acted like neighbors, like one nation, under God. And I say that with no apologies. You don’t have to agree with me. We can disagree on this subject, and a multitude of others, and still belong to the brotherhood of man, still wish the best for each other, and still live in peace.

So my hope on this 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is that we look for commonalities, not differences; that we respect, not ridicule; that we unite, not divide; that we seek peace, not war.

While I was standing at the memorial in Avondale this afternoon, I met a lady named Faye Brown. She also stopped for pictures, but her phone wasn’t working because one of her “grandchildren had been messing with it again.” She was black; I’m white. She’s a grandmother; I’m not. Those were the immediate, obvious differences, and if we looked for more I’m sure we could have found them. But Faye Brown and I didn’t look for differences. We enjoyed the memorial together. We appreciated the beautiful September afternoon together. We exchanged email addresses so that I can send her some of my pictures since she couldn’t take any. When she left, she called back to me, “have a blessed day.” And I smiled, waved back, and said “you too.”

The 9/11 Memorial in Avondale Estates

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