WHO HAVE YOU BECOME?

I probably don't need to remind you that today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11. Just so you know, this Monday Morning Coach isn't about commemorating or remembering where you were on that fateful day. It's not about the patriotism and selfless acts of bravery we witnessed on so many fronts that day and in the days immediately following, although it's important that those things be discussed and memorialized.

Rather today's message is to ask: "Who have you become since 9/11?" Right after 9/11 I remember reading about people who decided to abandon lucrative careers to follow more humanitarian career paths. In the immediate aftermath of that "time-stopping" moment in history I was reminded of the brevity of life and how important it is to let our loved ones know we love them...not just on special occasions but daily. I remember thinking that I would take the time to stay connected to people I cared about. I would take the time to be a good friend, sister and citizen.

How have I done? How have you done in the five years since? If seminal events like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor in our parent's and grandparent's generations before remind us of anything, it's that life isn't a dress rehearsal. We get one pass...this minute...if we're lucky this day, week or month. What will you do to commemorate this moment in your history, to leave your mark?

In the five years since 9/11 have you become more compassionate? Have you become more involved in your community? How have you done with those commitments to tell family members and loved ones that you love them, everyday, and not assume they already know? Have you stayed consistently connected to friends? Have you committed yourself to something that's big and exciting (to you) because you can no longer afford to sit back and say, "someday I'll"? Have you become more patriotic, not in a flag-waving, chest-thumping, "let's beat the enemy before they beat us" kind of way, but by staying involved in your community...by voting, by donating blood, by participating in community clean-ups, by giving of your time, energy, money, or whatever other resources you have available?

The debates will rage on in the media about whether or not we're "safer" as a nation since 9/11; who was responsible; could it have been prevented and how best to memorialize the nearly 3,000 lives lost on that day. And yet I believe it's essential for each of us to find our own way of honoring those lost lives by continuing the legacy we committed to in the days following that milestone in our personal and collective history. There's a saying that the best revenge is a life well lived. If there's even a shred of truth to that, then it's up to each of us to be up and doing what we can to make the world a finer, nobler and more compassionate place to live, starting at our own doorsteps.

"What do we mean by patriotism in the contest of our times? I venture to suggest what we mean is a sense of national responsibility...a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but he tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

~~ Adlai Stevenson

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