09/12/2025
This week has been eye opening and somber with the events that have taken place and the anniversary of one of the darkest days our nation has experienced. I sit here and ponder about how do we move forward?
I think back to the anniversary of today; Sept 12th 2001.
That was a shining example of us, the American people being our best.
Neighbors talked, hugged, cried, rallied to help anyone and everyone. We watched firefighters, police, EMTs not even flinch at running towards danger. We were angry, but had purpose. We filled churches, parks, public places, blood banks, charitable events. Waving flags without embarassment or hesitation. We were proud of who we are as Americans, with unabashed patriotism.
Wednesday the assination of Charlie Kirk was a dark day as well, it was a very graphic and tragic reminder of how quickly this life can end, and how quickly evil and hate can seek to divide. We are still that same people of Sept 12th 2001. We can get back to that. We have to!
We cannot let darkness silence our God given rights that are bestowed to us in our constitution. We cannot let our political ideations get the best of us, we have to shut out the media , influencers, social media, that are telling us to hate our neighbor. Those neighbors are the same people we cried with, prayed with, mourned with, gave blood with, and stood in shock with 24 years ago. We are allowed to disagree on a number of things. In fact our disagreements can be our greatest asset, when we give them room to be aired in constructive and respectful discourse. We cannot disagree on the fact that violence is never the answer to solving verbal or ideological differences.
We need discourse, dialogue, conversations, but we also need to be rooted in our convictions that service of others, love of God-family-country, pursuit of freedom, and treating others how we wish to be treated supersedes our own desires to be “right by any means necessary.”
We are praying for our country, we are praying for you and your families, we are praying for those who mourn. We are at a crux, where we can keep heading the direction of devaluing life, or we can change the direction of where we have been heading and choose to be a people that as the founding fathers said are “a bright shining beacon on the hill”.
America still is the best country in the world, the constitution of the United States is the greatest political document ever written. INspite of what we have seen this week, we have to make a choice on what we are willing to fight for, and to lock arms and do it the right way.
“Freedom is not about doing what feels good; it’s about doing what’s right.”- Charlie Kirk once said.
May God continue to bless us richly.
My hope is we unplug from the social media tether this weekend. Have a driveway conversation with a neighbor. Play catch or ride bikes with your kids. Hunt, fish, hike, and enjoy the outdoors. Take a friend to lunch or coffee. Help an elderly person nearby… but in all things please Give thanks. God has blessed us with an amazing place to live, despite what the news is telling us. Be thankful and grateful for what we have, where we are , who we were created to be. Let’s value each other a little more every day.
Pray for one another, for those who mourn, and fo those we see as our adversaries. Pray we grow our resolve and for boldness to continue to do what is right.
God bless you all.
-Ryan
