Today

A friend sent me the above picture.
Taken from inside the ring of lights which tonight will shine from lower Manhattan.
A reminder of where the twin towers of the World Trade Center stood.
Lit again as we remember the horrific events of that day.
And the heartbreak and anguish of the days which followed.

For many those lights will shine as a sign of defiance.
Representing our strength and resolve.
And, that despite the hatred and horror of that event we will not be crushed.
My heart tugs me in a different direction.
Instead of defiance, I long for those lights to be for us and for all a beacon of hope.
A sign of welcome and promise.
A sign of the best of the American dream.
A sign that pushes back against the darkness of terrorism and fear and hatred and bigotry.
A sign that violence is not the way to solve/resolve the world’’s problems.
A sign to the world that that is who we are and this is what we value and this is what we will stand for.

Right now in our country, we are a long way from that.
But I can still hope.
And, long for the day when America will live up to its creed of liberty and justice for all.