How Do We Honor?

Honor as a verb is loosely used in this age. It means to give great respect or esteem. And we just yesterday were reminded to honor those who lost their lives to terrorists in American on 9/11/01. And there were ceremonies at the sites where they died. How do the rest of us show great respect or esteem to those lives?

Some chose to be silent on FaceBook during the times on the clock from the first impact to the last. Some put out their American Flags. Some relived that day in their memories and with the videos in the media again. There were news articles about the continued deaths of first-responders from breathing the toxic dust that day and days after.

So is that the best way to give great respect, high honor? Do we continue to focus on their deaths? Is there a way to honor their lives, not just their deaths? Have we respected their lives?

Do we even know anything about their lives? We heard about them at the time - who had children, who were married, who had been brave, who had been generous, etc.

Perhaps we could hold fund raisers in the name of those who died to fund scholarships for the children and spouses of those who died, including those first responders who survived to face health crises as a result. Definitely we must fund the medical costs of survivors.

Perhaps organizations could be created that support peace-making convesrsations between Muslim and non-Muslim people in cities across the country in the name of preventing future conflicts that result in creating hatred and terrorists.

How would you honor the lives lost on 9/11? Are there ways we can carry the memory of that day forward with positivity in the future?