A reminder of September 11, 2001 and the old question "Where were you on 911" flashed through my mind. 

I know exactly where I was.  It was a difficult time.  I had been evicted from the home I had lived in for twelve years just weeks earlier.  Not because I had ever missed a day of rent, but because my landlord had decided on a whim to sell the place only two weeks after telling me he'd never put my place on the market.  Following being served the eviction notice, I went through weeks of harassment, vandalism, and ended up taking the landlord to court.  Granted, I won and had had no doubt I would win, but it was an exhausting time.  Just hours before that eviction notice was served I was at an appointment with a neurologist that had little, if any, bedside manner.  It was all ready not a good day as the nuerologist rattled off a list of things I would never do again because of nerve damage in my back.  Leave that and come home to an eviction notice on your door. 

Yeah.  You get what I mean.  Not your average day at Disneyland.

On September 11th I was temporarily homeless, staying in a friends guest room while the newly built apartment complex that had taken my deposit months earlier finished with it's inspections so tenants could move in.  The delays seemed to take forever, but I was grateful for a quiet place to stay.

And then the phone calls came.

"Turn on the TV, turn on the TV ... New Yorks been bombed ..."

"Bombed?  What .... no way ..."

For the next three days we all sat, transfixed in front of our TV's watching 911 unfold, feeling like this can't be real.

The loss.  The pain.  The suffering.  The unknown.

Years later a sea of accusations, conspiracy and confusion still exists.  Whatever you believe, disbelieve or want to believe, don't you DARE disrespect the lives ... the hundreds and thousands of INNOCENT lives that were lost that horrific day.

There are children who were babies or born that year and have never known more than a picture of their mother or their father.

Remember that.  Give them respect.

There were firemen who fought to save lives and lost theirs. 

Remember that.  Give them respect.

There were men and women on their way to work or all ready at work.  Men and women of every color, nationality,  and religion who needlessly lost their life that day. 

Remember that.  Give them respect.

Whether you believe it was terrorist or conspiracy, have the decency to respect the loss of thousands of innocent lives. 

That is all I ask.

Which takes me back to @MikeNeumanns Tweet.  @Victims_of_9ll was telling us he was going to Tweet ALL of the names of ALL of those who lost their lives that dark day in September.  I saw a few tweets aimed at @Victims_of_911 that made me embarrassed for the person aiming their suspicion and anger.  Junior High behavior thrown at one person remembering the loss of thousands.  A person who had gone through much grief, their own loss and a dramatic change to their community.

Remember... and give them Respect.

@Victims_of_911 has taken the time to write out each name he had of those who lost their lives on that day.  Take a moment before you leave this day and pay your respects, please.  You can believe whatever you want, but JUST as we respect our soldiers when we don't believe in the war, respect the loss of thousands on American soil.

It wasn't just New York's loss, it was America's loss.

Thank You, Damien.  I'm so sorry for your loss and I thank you for your time.  God Bless You for sticking to your task and writing out all of those names even as you came to the name that struck of your own personal loss.

Where were you on September 11, 2001.

Never Forget.