Of Love, Community and Cowards

My September 11, 2001 Column

I was going to talk today about the wonderful time I had in Sioux City, about what a great feeling it is to watch a community come together to support their friends and family members who are caregivers, about how much you get out of giving. In the middle of my speech a woman interrupted me and said that she agreed with all I was saying about respite, but her husband (for whom she was caring) would not let her leave his sight. Coincidently, I was at dinner the night before the event with some of the participants and one of them told a story of how she was able to get her stubborn husband to understand her needs as a caregiver. I put these two caregivers together and it seems as if the suggestions offered will help the audience member in successfully dealing with her husband. As I said, what a wonderful feeling to see people supporting people.

So when I watch the news with horror this morning, as I’m sure all of you are, I find it hard to fathom that anyone’s twisted political motives can result in thousands of people suffering; create widows and orphans as well as new family caregivers. What they fail to realize and what they will never take from us, in any city in this country, is our sense of community and our ability to support one another in times of need. No matter what level of cowardness that creates mayhem like the one playing out across my television screen this morning, no matter what ends they hope to accomplish, I guarantee you that with the community, love and support that I have seen across this country in cities large and small, these cowards will never win. As hard as they try, they cannot win, because that is something they can never take away from us. And as a matter of fact, their acts only serve to remind us of our very strengths and what in fact, makes this country so great in the first place.

Our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by these acts this morning.

My September 11, 2001 Column

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