promises…

If you were reading me before I deleted the old entries and started fresh…(of if you know me well) you would know that The Pilot Guy lost one of his best friends on 9/11. One thing that I have learned about him was that no matter how long time passes, he will never get over the loss of this one particular friend….

This year, I met him in DC on the 10th so that he wouldn’t have to wake up alone on the morning of the 11th before he attended the memorial ceremony at the Pentagon.

When I came to DC in May of 2006, I met him here…and made a promise to him that, overall, I’ve kept. And that is, whenever I am in DC, I will take the time to visit Arlington National Cemetery - and his friend’s grave.

It’s strange, I know, but when I visit Arlington, I can often feel the souls around me. It’s a sacred place…

In a lot of ways, the visits I made put me back in touch with a part of myself I had long ago stifled - and that is the inner part of me that is more spiritual. I’m not going to get into the details because most folks wouldn’t understand (and I’ve talked to Lee extensively about it). Just know that it changed so much of my life and how I see everything around me.

Today is the day when I make my visit. It’s almost Veteran’s Day, and a special day indeed for those buried there. I know the Secret Service will be all around as the prep for President Bush’s visit later in the week….

On this visit, I have two graves I need to visit….The Pilot Guys friend’s, of course. I always take a model plane and leave it on his grave. But I also will visit the grave in one of the cenotaph areas…a serviceman who died in Grenada and was never recovered… I met his brother and sister-in-law…who lived in California…. on my last visit and told him I would visit again….

I want to be a better person…and part of that is making sure you are true to your word.