A year later, many of us still

feel, "What if?" What if the hijackers could have been caught?

What if those towers could have held out just a few more hours? What if

pilots carried guns? What if cabin doors were impenetrable? What if there

weren't maniacs in the world?

It's a matter of frustration

for us when we practice "What if?" for those are things we can

never control. But what about what we can control?

What if we could cheer and

support the many who had the courage and bravery to risk and even lose

their lives during 9-11? What if we could cheer and support the many,

every day, who don't get the attention, who don't, thankfully, have to

face such a test? Why would we do it? Would we do it for ourselves? Would

we do it for them?

What if we could cheer and

support people who really do need it every day? What if there were people

all around us everyday that we could support and cheer? What if we could

make an immediate impact on lives through our encouragement in our own

neighborhoods, right now? What if there were no headlines, no attention?

What if the tragedy of 9-11

hadn't happened? What if we stayed the same? What if we are the same?

What if we just have the fear and shock and horror but none of the change?

What if every bad situation provided the opportunity for good? What if

no one took advantage of it?

What if Bin Laden had never

existed? What if Bin Laden could catch a disease so bad his teeth would

fall out only to be crushed by his camel, which in turn knocked down his

lantern and set his tent on fire, thereby igniting Osama's beard into

a furious, flaming frenzy of fourth of July fireworks? What if we all

could make wishes come true?

What if I am flying on 9-11

(I am)? What if it all happens again? What if I'm still hungry after I

eat my packet of peanuts? What if we are closer to the beginning than

the end? What if we are learning what we are made of? What if we don't

like what we learn? What if everything is going to be all right? What

if we don't do a single thing for ourselves to make that happen? What

if we don't do a single thing for others to make that happen?

[E-mail Billy Murphy at

[email protected].]