They said, ‘We will never forget!’, but have we?

What were you doing this past weekend and what were you feeling? Maybe it wasn’t one of those times you’ll remember – but maybe it was. Maybe, like us, you watched a documentary on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and also, a documentary on the events of 911. “We will never forget” was a theme for both situations.

Those documentaries got us feeling lots of emotion with tears streaming at times. We felt both sad, and also, mad. Of course, sad because they were both sad events. You may wonder about the mad feelings. We felt mad because at 911 we saw buildings and people being destroyed. Today, in our country, we don’t need another foreign country or terrorists to invade to destroy buildings and kill people – we’re doing it to ourselves. We’ve all heard the concept, “United we stand, divided we fall”. Abraham Lincoln said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Maybe we can take the lessons that came from the two events, the stories of Queen Elizabeth II and stories of 911, to give us hope for a better future.

According to the story of the late monarch, her father passed away when she was 25 years old, and she became Queen Elizabeth II. She accepted the role and gave a speech promising to dedicate her life to the people and her country. This left her facing a life of, basically, no days off. No time to play, party or just relax. She had to handle responsibilities and always be ready to handle whatever came her way. What dedication and patriotism.

The story of 911 showed terrible destruction of the Twin Towers. Where were you when that happened? We’re pretty sure you remember. We remember the time well. We had the TV on in the morning while we got ready for work. We wanted to catch the latest weather so we could be prepared for the day. We weren’t prepared at all for what we saw. We watched in horror, a replay of an airplane hitting the Twin Towers. Then a second airplane also hit the Towers.  People jumped from windows and clouds of ash flew everywhere.

Another airplane crashed into the Pentagon. A friend of ours was conducting a training at the Pentagon at the time. She thought about how to survive. She scooped up some candy in case it would be a long time before help and food would show up. Fortunately, she made it out safely.

Let’s also never forget the bravery of people on flight 93, which might have been headed to hit the White House or Capitol. Heroes, including Tom Burnett, Jr., who grew up in Bloomington MN, and Todd Beamer, from New Jersey, worked with a group of people to storm the cockpit. This caused the plane to crash and all perished, but they undoubtedly saved many lives. Beamer asked the emergency operator to say The Lord’s Prayer with him. Both men were able to get messages to their wives before the crash.

Yes, the saying is, “We will never forget.” We’ll remember those who lost their lives and lost loved ones in 911. Let’s also never forget how people all came together to help each other. First responders and regular people helped. It didn’t matter what was their race, creed, political party, or ideology. Everyone cared for each other with compassion and understanding. Instead of being angry and unforgiving for the mistakes of people and our country, they prayed for everyone and for our country. Politicians held hands and sang patriotic songs on the Capitol steps. We were united as Americans. There was a renewed appreciation that it’s a privilege to live free in America.

What about you? We shared deep feelings that were rekindled in us. Notice how, when tragedy strikes, people put aside their differences, find common ground, and work together? Let’s not wait for another tragedy to unite us.

We can’t all be like Queen Elizabeth II in what she did for her people and country. But if we do something positive, each in our own way, we can make a difference. We pray for America and that people can unite again to love and care for each other. We also never want to take this great nation for granted. We’ll be looking for ways to never forget. We’ll remember by living our lives joyfully each day to reflect these values. We hope you’ll join us on this journey to celebrate renewed relationships and love of country. May God bless you and God bless America!

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2022 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.