9-11 Doesn't Feel Like a HOLIDAY

Blessings in the Mire was written as I searched for meaning, tried to make sense of many painful episodes throughout my life. As a proprietor of a metaphysical store, I have heard numerous stories of miracles, survival, finding the "silver lining" to the events. Finding a "blessing" in the mire of 9-11, however, is not something I have as of yet been able to do. Is there a positive that can come from the shock, horror, pain, mourning of such evil? The dust has settled, the wake of destruction has been cleared, leaving mourning and remembrance, leaving love.
It is a calm settling that has come over me today as I remember, as I look out at San Diego, clear, blue skies, and know that the skies weep in Manhatten. Tears falling over New York seems more appropriate than brilliant sun shining, and the laughter and shrieks of tiny tots at the pre-school yards away from my balcony in downtown San Diego. My own grand daughters are at home today, a result of the threat of terrorist attacks against our schools. What is the option? Home-schooling or moving to a distant town or even to another country where Americans are less hated comes to mind. But then, where are Americans not considered arrogant, or spoiled, materialistic, crude, or distrusted? Does such a place on earth exist? And why are Americans so disliked? Have we done something to be deserving of the world's hatred? As I note the media frenzy to the likes of Britney and Paris and Lindsey, etc., I begin to understand, a bit, of what the others see. From a surface level it does appear that Americans are shallow, materialistic, self-absorbed, and uncaring. But dig beneath the surface and look more closely at the heros and heroines that trade their lives for the higher cause. Look first at the obvious, the firefighters, the peace officers, the teachers that really care about the students. Look past the ridiculousness of what a celebrity is wearing, and find the person that uses that celebrity status to make positive change on this planet. Look at the retired cop that now works as a crossing guard ensuring the safety of the kids as they travel through their day. Look for the artists' strokes that bring attention to the cause. See through the lense of the photographer as he causes you to focus on the nefarious. Find the hero in your self as you go through life. Make a difference each and every day, and when something tragic happens, seek always, the "Blessings in the Mire." That's the only sense I can make of this; it's a call to focus on what really matters. Tragedy is love manifesting. Love is the energy that remains when the wake is over. Simplistically, love is the answer.