Where will you be?

We all have those times in our life that serve as reference points... the moments where the clock freezes and we're suspended in a state somewhere between bewilderment and denial. These situations might not totally define who we are, but they definitely contribute to our personal perspective on the world.

Ten years ago I took a team of volunteers to Ground Zero after the towers came down. We worked with the Salvation Army feeding the rescue workers around the clock in 12-hour shifts as they tried to extract bodies from the rubble. It marked me.

Many of us can recall with great specificity what we were doing on that day in 2001. It was an unintentional bonding moment most of us never want to relive. We were all changed. And while the memories still resonate and the feelings of that day will never quite fade totally into oblivion, time does have a way to add perspective that allows us to stop and catch our breath before we move on. If we can move on.

Lets be honest, this world is an indifferent place that often places us into scenarios that we did not foresee. We are often forced to react to situations that we never anticipated. Sometimes we face these demons alone and other times we are surrounded by an audience. But these times still come.

And they come often.

Devastation is not constrained to a universal form. Often it comes in waves that are still and quiet and excruciatingly painful. Other times is is a cacophony of confusion and chaos that screams for attention. Whatever the wrappings, it provides us an opportunity to make a choice. A chance to (re)define our livelihood. Will we embrace hope and move forward and cling to the belief that things will get better? Or will we resign ourselves to a fearful existence that cowers and makes no attempt to improve the situation?

Where will we be?