Field of Flags Unites Community

I carried a flag Saturday. It represented a person lost in the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago. There were 3,000 flags placed in the battlefield ground of . Hundreds had died there during the Civil War in another reminder of hatred during another dark time in our country.

Walking through the I reflected on my own life during the past 10 years. While I didn't lose a loved one or someone close to me on that fateful September day, I know of close friends who have lost loved ones in the military who gave their lives to make sure it doesn't happen again. Those families were hurting today, too.

The mournful sound of bagpipes echoed around the mountain this morning as the sun popped up and illuminated those 3,000 flags. The red, white and blue seemed especially brilliant on this day. I live five minutes from this place, but it seems different with all these flags waving in the wind. It seems peaceful, even safe.

As the ceremony ended this morning, the bagpipers retreated into the flags and disappeared playing Amazing Grace. Attached to one of the flags was a flower and a photo of a firefighter lost on 9/11. The emotions came flooding back for a country hurting but overcoming evil with hope. A hope that God will bless America.

I may go back tomorrow. The Field of Flags draws me in. To remember.