September 11, 2001

"Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them." -George Eliot

Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles after takeoff from Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C. At 8:46 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center's North Tower (1 WTC) and at 9:03 a.m. another five hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower (2 WTC).

Five hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. A fourth flight, under the control of four hijackers, crashed United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. after the passengers fought the hijackers. Flight 93's ultimate target is believed to have been either the Capitol or the White House.

My purpose is not to talk of the politics, religious meanings behind the attacks. My purpose is to simply remember the 2,977 people that died.

We each hold onto the memory of those that have gone before us. Marcus Cicero said, "The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living." Each of us hold the lives of our family and friends in our memory. Those lives speak through our own mouths, through our own words, they live on.

As we take a moment to reflect on Sunday, September 11, 2011, take those moments to reflect on the people. Let their lives speak volumes with the the memories you share. Let them live on in the words we speak.

An Adventure

"It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge. It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure." -Frederick Sanger

Today marks a new day of adventure for two of my boys. It actually marks a new adventure for all of us if I think about it. Early this morning the two left on a trip that will take them thousands of miles. A trip that will take them further down the road in their lives. It will change the landscape for many.

One son is a five year Army veteran transferring to a new unit out west. The other son is a graduate moving out west to work on his Master's degree. Both are moving on with their lives, changing the current in favor of reaching new potential.

I watched them pull away and the red glare of the tail lights hid them from my view. I knew they were there although I could not see them. My sadness in seeing them leave becomes overshadowed by my excitement for them.

When we embark on anything new, it is an adventure. It is a journey that we may have planned but will be filled with the unknown. The possibility of greatness lay in the unknown; it lay in the adventure of it all. It is life giving you the green light to move forward. Only you can keep you from change.

There will be ups and downs in any journey you take. The mountains may seem imposing and the skys too dark. Just remember that a lush, green valley lay beyond the mountain top and a bright blue sky shines behind those clouds.

The journey of life is an adventure and we need to enjoy every part of it. Have fun boys, have an adventure, and let life be full of possibility for you and for everyone.

Knowledge from a Bird Feeder

"Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge." -Khalil Gibran

Knowledge is defined as "information and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject." But why do we seek knowledge? The answer to that is rather complex and many people devote their lives to resolving it.

In philosophy, the study of knowledge is called epistemology. An entire field of study into why and how we seek knowledge. In psychology, they concentrate on how different levels of knowledge effect your well-being. Both of these fields of study will take you off into many different areas of study.

In my view of knowledge, the procurement of knowledge comes down to two basic things; survival and advancement. One can debate that there are many more facets to knowledge. That I would not dispute, but simply put we acquire knowledge for these two main reasons.

To survive, we need to learn how to obtain the four basic necessities in life which are; air, water, food, and shelter. Some lists add clothing as a necessity, although I include it within shelter. How we obtain these items for survival is by knowledge. You may wonder why we need knowledge to obtain air; it is always there. Our bodies through biological and learned means come to realize breathing is essential. We learn that we can not dive into the water and survive for very long without air.

We learn that if we sit near a camp fire, any smoke that blows into our face will make breathing difficult. We learn to move away from that smoke. The same knowledge is needed for the other survival necessities in life. Water to hydrate us and keep us healthy, food to nourish and strenghten our bodies, shelter to keep us dry or warm and protected. Each of these are acquired knowledge and could be 'just enough' in life.

There comes a point when we need to advance forward in our life. This will happen if we use up those resources necessary to survive. This will happen if our family grows and we need a larger shelter or more resources. We have to acquire knowledge to advance our lives. Without knowledge, we will become stagnant and fade away. Life requires knowledge.

Knowledge will push you forward to greater things in life. If you are perplexed by the inability to get ahead in life, pick up a book, research the internet, take a class. Do things that will increase what you know. Make yourself smarter about all that is around you. Knowledge will take you further than repetitively pounding two rocks together.

The perplexity of life that we each encounter is solvable. If you watch a squirrel figure out a 'squirrel-proof' bird feeder, then you will understand what I am talking about. As the squirrel trys new things, it is learning what does and does not work. The knowledge obtained eventually allows the squirrel to overcome that which is hindering its survival.

You have the ability to overcome so much in life by simply increasing your knowledge. Having this knowledge will provide you with your best life. Having this knowledge will be your best life. Gain more in your life.

You Can Change

"Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation." -Alan Cohen

How many times have you been moved to change by an event? It may have been an event that tore down into your comfort zone. An event that turned your view of life upside down and altered much of what you knew.

These events may have been small or large, hurtful or only irritating and maybe un-planned. At the time of these events we give them huge weight in our life. We lift and carry them like boulders, struggling to proceed with anything meaningful. We give these events power over our lives.

But from every burden in our life, we have a choice to make. We can continue to allow the event to control our being. Or we can choose to turn the event into a positive change. We have the ability to overcome and transform our life into something greater.

Throw down the boulders you might be carrying. Throw down the negative and choose to move beyond its control. Choose to live your life.