Last week, MrsS flew to Boston to visit our oldest son and his family. Over the weekend, they drove down to Washington D.C. where they spent three days showing her the sights of our capitol. They visited the Capitol Building, all of the presidential and war memorials and monuments, the Smithsonian and walked past the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue
As I spoke to her on the phone tonight, listening to her description of all that she had done and seen, particularly as she spoke of the utter majesty of the Captol Building, I was struck by an all but overwhelming thought of how different all of that might be today, had the passengers on one plane last September, not risen up to confront the would-be hijackers and defeat their intentions.
As I write this, I am also stronly struck by all that each of us has in common with one another ... it makes our differences seem very small and far less than meaningful.
I'm going to open the humidor with my best cigars in it and pick a good one, light it carefully and as I smoke it, ponder these thought a bit more and as I do so, I will consider something else ... I read recently that cigar smokers were a special breed of guy and am struck by the truth of that ... each of you IS someone I have come to regard in just that light and I am very pleased to be in your company. A 'toast' with my cigar to each of you.
