I am sorry I haven't been able to get an email out to you. It has been a couple busy weeks. We have two new cooks in the kitchen and Lisa has been out and recuperating from pneumonia.

 

I was watching a special on the rebuilding process at the World Trade Center site Sunday night. Having missed yesterday's ceremonies I came home to read and see highlights. I felt it important. Like many, I still remember exactly what I was doing that morning.

 

One of the reasons we are training cooks right now is one of our "kids" has been ordered to Afghanistan. Jeremy had been in the Army Reserves when we hired him. He shipped out last week for a month of intense training. My nephew is currently in Okinawa, Japan training to go into Afghanistan as well. For Lisa and I, like any parent who's kids go into harms way, there is a wide range of emotions. Everything from pride, fright, worry and anger.

 

Ten years after our Nation was attacked we are still engaged with an enemy that has no country and doesn't seem to care who they kill to justify their twisted thinking. After watching and being reminded of the horror that was visited on the people of New York, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, the country and the world; freedom is worth fighting for.

 

I also took time to read comments related to a story about 9/11 on CNN. Freedom was evident in every single passage.
There were comments that were thoughtful. There were comments that were plain silly. There were comments that were an admonishment. There were some that were, well, downright hateful. Whether I agreed with any of them or not isn't nearly important as the freedom of each of the person to express themselves, without the fear of harm or worse.

 

Sadly there are still places in this world that freedom is a word that is just, a word.

 

Bless our troops in harms way and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, so that you and I may enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted.