Keep Blooming

Of course we'll never forget 9/11 or the days and weeks surrounding it. For me, it meant lots of long hours in the newsroom. Writing, reading or hearing stories of sadness and shock. But there were also seeds of hope.

That's what I don't want to forget.

How we came together as one. One community. One nation. Caring for each other. Respecting each other. Uplifting each other. I want that back. Can it happen again without a tragedy? Can we learn from nature that even after the cold, dark winter, spring and summer come with light and warmth and a chance to bloom?

Despite all the images of remembrances today, the 17th anniversary of the tragedy, I did see signs that hope can bloom IF it is planted.

This guy was buzzing next to me while I was eating my lunch in the courtyard at work. He and a lot of his buddies were zooming from flower to flower, taking advantage of a gift staring them in the face.

Tonight at golf league, my game was not looking pretty, but our course always does.

Our signature Flower Hole at SentryWorld has some 30,000 flowers in bloom. Despite the fact we're way past peak. And the nights are getting cold.

All these flowers today just show me that if we are resilient in the tough times, we can rise from the dirt, grow, and eventually bloom.

I want that. I just hope we can get there because we want to. Not because we have to.