When did 9/11 start being called Patriots' day? I don't remember ever seeing that on the calendar before.
According to Wikipedia, Patriots' day is actually April 19th. If you're a runner you might recognize that as the weekend for the Boston Marathon. No coincidence – Massachusetts selected that day to commemorate the Revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord.
The name for the 9/11 commemoration is actually Patriot day. Did you see that the apostrophe and the "s" are missing? Patriot day was established almost immediately after the Twin Towers in New York city were destroyed. It's been around since 2002. I guess I just haven't been paying attention.
Abilene has a proud military heritage so a "Patriot" day plays well here. But the real heroes of 9/11 weren't soldiers. They were regular people doing dangerous work. Much like the militia of Lexington and Concord, regular folks are sometimes called upon to do extraordinary things. Most often this call comes without warning or fanfare.
Let this be a day to ponder such calls.
In this pondering let's listen for the calls that come so frequently that we've tuned them out. Calls to listen. Calls to slow down enough to notice the people around us. Calls to show that we really do care. It is likely that these needy people will be family members or friends. But don't be surprised if your pondering brings to mind people who aren't so close. People who aren't so much like you. But not so different either.
According to Wikipedia, Patriots' day is actually April 19th. If you're a runner you might recognize that as the weekend for the Boston Marathon. No coincidence – Massachusetts selected that day to commemorate the Revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord.
The name for the 9/11 commemoration is actually Patriot day. Did you see that the apostrophe and the "s" are missing? Patriot day was established almost immediately after the Twin Towers in New York city were destroyed. It's been around since 2002. I guess I just haven't been paying attention.
Abilene has a proud military heritage so a "Patriot" day plays well here. But the real heroes of 9/11 weren't soldiers. They were regular people doing dangerous work. Much like the militia of Lexington and Concord, regular folks are sometimes called upon to do extraordinary things. Most often this call comes without warning or fanfare.
Let this be a day to ponder such calls.
In this pondering let's listen for the calls that come so frequently that we've tuned them out. Calls to listen. Calls to slow down enough to notice the people around us. Calls to show that we really do care. It is likely that these needy people will be family members or friends. But don't be surprised if your pondering brings to mind people who aren't so close. People who aren't so much like you. But not so different either.
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