Never Forgotten

There are some things that I never want to forget. One of those is how I felt seven years ago as I watched that second plane fly into the World Trade Center. I never want to be complacent about the safety of the citizens of the US. I never want to stop holding terrorists and those who aide them accountable. And I never want them to have the opportunity to enact this sort of evil again. Our country has so many problems, but I am grateful that our government, our military, and our civil servants have done all they can to prevent more attacks on our own soil. I know the terrorists haven't given up trying. We never should either.




A few years ago, a veteran named Bob took me through a part of Arlington Cemetary that I had to have special access to see. He took me to a fence and showed me where the attack on the Pentagon had occurred. As I stood in that cemetary, surrounded by the tombstones of soldiers who had served our country, and looked upon that scene, I was overwhelmed in a way I cannot desribe.

Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the survivors, the victims and their families, and with our country.

This is a layout I made as a letter to Todd Beamer. Did you all know that we named our Todd after him? In his own way, my Todd is also a hero. He is a bone marrow donor match for Chet.

Today is a blood drive at my church. Giving blood is free. It saves lives. Please go to a local blood drive or your local blood bank and donate. Be a part of that life-saving gift. And until the 22nd of this month (which happens to be Chet's birthday) the National Marrow Donor Registry is waiving the fees to register to become a registered bone marrow donor. Please don't overthink this. To be a donor is simple. If you are ever called to be a donor, it does not hurt the way you may have been lead to believe it does. You are sore for a day or two. You go home the same day you donate. You spend the rest of your life knowing you made a difference. You can save lives. You can use your marrow to restore health to somebody who has no other alternative. Please, get involved. Click here for more information.

Update:
It looks like you can't follow a link directly to the sponsored page. I called NMDR, and Sherry told me we have to follow a certain path for it to be free because of their security issues to avoid hacking.

First go to www.marrow.org

On the right side of the screen, under the cord blood box is a box that says "Events" Click on the link that says "Nascar Foundation Drive." About 3/4 of the way down that page, you will click on "join online now." Then finish filling in the paperwork and the Promo Code will automatically generate. I know it is a couple of extra clicks, but please don't let that deter you from joining!!