America can stay united in faith and strength

Long before there was a Patriot Day or a war on terror, Sept. 11 was just another day for Americans to work, play and live well. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, we all learned in an instant just how precious life is and how every one of us is bound to our fellow man when we heard the stories of heroism, courage and love amid the calamity of that day. America realized that whatever our disagreements and grievances were with one another, nothing could be so important as standing strong as one nation.

Communities came together and helped meet the needs of families that were bereaved. Churches, synagogues and mosques were filled with people who believed in different gods but prayed for one America. Congress came together as one. All across America, people were moved by a desire to see our country overcome all fear and return to strength. Banners appeared everywhere with words that simply said, "We Shall Overcome."

Today, seven years later, we must hold fast to that same attitude that unity enables us to overcome all odds and triumph over all fear.

There were those who said that the fear and damage of Sept. 11's attacks would lead to a total economic collapse of America. They were wrong. There were those who said that Osama bin Laden would win and that America would be destroyed. They were wrong. There were those who said that American pride would be forever destroyed. They were wrong. We proved all of these to be incorrect when we stood together as one nation, and today, as many tremble before the pall of rising gas prices, a weak economy and an ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can still prove wrong everyone who claims that America's best days have come and gone.

On Sept. 12, 2001, Americans stopped complaining together and started working together. They thought of others before themselves, they volunteered in their communities without expecting a reward, they gave to charities and they kept doing good even when it didn't look like it was making a dent. There is no way that the people of a country can invest themselves so deeply in that kind of unity and not prosper. Seven years from Sept. 11, 2001, we need to return to that level of care for our neighbors and pride in our nation.

John F. Kennedy said that "our problems are manmade, therefore they can be solved by man." When America unites, problems get solved, crises get turned around and our communities start prospering. We need to live every day like Patriot Day, and never forget Sept. 11, 2001, remembering not what our enemies did to us, but remembering what good we did for one another to overcome. There is no reason why Christians, Jews, Muslims and members of other faiths cannot be friends who pray for one another. We did it before. There is no reason why Republicans and Democrats cannot come together and agree to write together the best legislation for our country. We did it before. There is no reason why men and women, children and adults, rich and poor cannot be patriots who love America and work together to keep America strong. We did it before, we can do it again, and if we remember that what unites us is greater than what divides us, we will do it again.

This Patriot Day, let us honor the fallen and ensure the future of the living by coming together in unity as Americans first, last and always. We shall overcome.