It has been a hot, hot week around here.  And tempers have flared a bit more, probably due at least in some part to that heat…

But there is always something to be thankful for.

This week I am thankful for:

1. Being born in a country so full of freedom and opportunity.  I may not agree with every decision our government officials make (Oh, I definitely don’t), but here we have the freedom to disagree and vote in someone new when the time comes.
2. The fact that my husband had the 4th off, and didn’t have to be on-call, either, allowing him to relax some and enjoy his day off.
3. A/C.  It has been 100 degrees here more than a couple days so far this summer, and it’s still early in the season!  Shwew!
4. Our power didn’t go off this past week when we had winds of 60+ miles an hour.  (Look back at #3.)

You’re turn!  Leave a comment and tell me what you’re thankful for this week.  Or, if you did your own Thankful Thursday post, go ahead and link up!

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But that is not what I want to focus on.

I want to focus on what happened AFTER:

We came together as a country.

Huddled around our t.v.’s we cheered for each miracle.

Patriotism was everywhere.

Construction sites hung American flags from mobile cranes.

Yellow ribbon magnets and American flag stickers decorated cars.

At school we led the students in the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.

And patriotic songs flooded the country station on my drive home.

It has been 10 years.  And time has a way of healing wounds and easing the pain.  But with the replaying of the tragic events unfolding on televisions once again, will there also be a renewed sense of patriotism?  That’s up to us.

It’s one reason I choose to wear red every Friday.  And why there is a sense of pride for being American each time I hear Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.”  I want my kids to grow up in a country that is proud and that stands together.  And THAT is what I want to remember this 9-11.

The post After 9-11 first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.