ONE
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became ONE color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning buildings, we became ONE class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope, we became ONE generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, we became ONE gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayers for strength, we became ONE faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, we spoke ONE language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, we became ONE body.
As we mourned together the great loss, we became ONE family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss, we became ONE soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes, we become ONE people.
We are....
ONE color
ONE class
ONE generation
ONE gender
ONE faith
ONE language
ONE body
ONE family
ONE soul
ONE people
We are the power of ONE
WE are United
We are America.

Dr. Cheryl Sawyer
University of Houston, Clear Lake

What a horrible morning...

We were in California, watching CNN as we always do in the mornings while preparing for work...it was 5:45 a.m. our time, and the story broke of a plane crash in New York.  The initial pictures reminded me of seeing the collapsed freeways in San Francisco in 1989.  Your mind can't accept the horror of the reality of the situation.

As were were about to turn onto the freeway on-ramp, the second plane struck, and it took our breath away.

My first thoughts were that something had gone terribly wrong with the air traffic controllers.  Had their equipment shut down?  My husband's first thoughts were that we were under some form of terrorist attack.  How wise he is...

As the minutes, hours and days played out, we came to realize that our lives would never again be quite the same.  While not beaten, we were a nation battered and scarred.  We have seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer in our generation.

We have been offered a reminder that we should always part from our friends and loved ones as though we'll never be blessed to see them again, because we just might not...