Who Am I?

I am no one special. 

I'm the little boy 
that gives up his favorite teddy bear 
so that a stranger may be comforted. 

I'm the single mother 
who has been trying to teach her child 
to sleep in their own bed,
who holds them tight long into the night,
thanking God it wasn't her child that died. 

I'm the old man, 
angry and resentful that his military 
doesn't want him because of his age.

I'm the teenaged girl 
that spends hours cutting ribbons 
for others to wear as a symbol of remembrance. 

I'm the young man 
who doesn't understand why his father 
was running up the stairs as the building fell, 
trying to save just one more person, 
instead of saving himself. 

I'm the old woman 
who will never see her grandchild again. 

I'm the little girl, 
playing with her doll, who can't understand 
when someone screams hateful things at her 
because of where her family is from. 

I'm the police officer, 
trying to keep idiotic reporters safe, 
when his wife is still among the missing. 

I'm the fire fighter 
that called in sick that day, 
only to discover that someone else died in his place. 

I'm the man 
who survived the falling building
only to learn that his sister and baby niece
were in the plane. 

I'm the secretary, 
angered by the seemingly callous response 
of those around her. 

I'm a spelunker, 
who is climbing down into the remains of a building, 
hoping to find someone still alive. 

I'm the dog handler, 
searching for bodies,
that has to comfort my animal 
when only death remains. 

I'm the woman 
who stands in line for five hours 
in order to give blood,
hoping to help strangers in need. 

I'm the man 
who gets up and goes to work every day 
in spite of the tragedy, 
because he still has a family to feed. 

I'm the first passenger 
to get back on a plane, 
even though I'm terrified, 
because I know somebody has to be first. 

Who am I?

I'm nobody special.

I'm just an American.

~God Bless America~
 

God Bless You ... Always!