Memorials

I’ve been absent from the internet deliberately today.  I checked twitter once or twice.  I talked to a few friends on Skype.  I sent messages to friends on facebook because, as much as today is an anniversary of a horrific event, there were people born today, too.

I don’t have a TV here, so I didn’t watch programs with pretentious people pretending to understand what it’s like to have someone you care about die saving innocent lives.  I didn’t read interview after interview.  I didn’t RT any articles on twitter or photos on tumblr.  I didn’t watch any videos on YouTube or tell people over and over how proud I am to be an American.

I am, though.

What I’m most proud of is that there are people in America who sacrificed their lives doing what they believed was right.  People who continue to defend our country not from an entire race or religion, but from the individual people who mean us harm.  And I’m proud that I live in a country where I can remember those heroes by celebrating the life I have, by spending time with people I care about and telling them that I care.