Today is a day to remember.

Remember the almost 3000 who lost their lives for no good reason at all.

Remember all who have fought and died and suffered since, regardless of what we believe about politics or war or hate.

• A day to remember that love is stronger than hate.

• A day to remember that hope is stronger than hurt.

• A day to remember that fear can be overcome by light and love and persistence.

A day to hug your children, call your parents and let those in your life know how much you care.

Today is a day to remember.

And in the remembering, we embrace hope. We embrace love.

We embrace forgiveness and pledge anew to love our neighbors as ourselves and do the very best we can to listen more, to forgive more quickly and to let the past be in the past while never forgetting the lessons we learned there.

John Maxwell said this …

“Where there is hope in the future, there is power in the present.”

So today let us embrace hope. Let us make sure there is hope today so that there will be power today. To see the future we want, not the future others want for us.

• Hope that someday we will all live in peace.

• Hope that we can work first to understand and then be understood.

• Hope that the very best in us will rise to the surface and shine with the light of a thousand suns.

If you are old enough to remember where you were on that dreadful day in Dallas you know pain. I remember my teachers and parents crying and not fully understanding why. Then September 11, 2001, happened and I understood.

I understood the pain, the despair, the anger, and rage.

And this time my children saw me cry. Oh God please let it be that their children never see them cry those bitter tears.

Today is a day to remember, with tears or not, what may be the darkest day in our lives.

And today is a day to embrace hope – for hope gives us power today to be our best. To do our best. To give our best.

Zig Ziglar once said you have to be before you can do and you have to do before you can have.

So today let us BE hopeful so we can DO the things needed to become peacemakers and then HAVE the best possible world this side of Heaven.

Because hope brings the power of the future into the reality of today.

Be blessed. Be safe.