As September 11th rolls around - now 8 years since that very tragic and memorable day - I found myself reflecting on what it all meant. We had 3000+ people - Americans and others killed for no other reason than hatred for our way of life in America. And yet 8 years later we still don't quite seem to grasp how important our freedom is and how easily it can be taken away.

I remember on 9/11 when the first plane hit the Trade Center, I had a customer from up the road come running down here to watch FOX News and see if something was going on. We had cable at the print shop and always had the news channel on. Even that early in the timeline for events, we got a got feeling that there was more than "just a tragic accident" happening. When the second plane hit the towers, a cold chill swept through straight to what felt like my soul. When the plane hit the Pentagon and it was speculated there was another on the way to the White House, I scared like I have never been scared before. I remember praying like crazy for the towers not to fall. Of course, there was talk that they might target other places of importance to Americans. I remember praying even harder that it not be the Statue of Liberty. I'm not sure why exactly but for some reason that would have been much worse in my mind than anything else they could have done.

We could not tear ourselves away from the news for weeks after 9/11. We could not get enough of the songs like Alan Jackson's Where Were You When the World Stopped Tuning" or Toby Keith's song of defiance or Aaron Tippin' patriotic song about the American Eagle. People poured into churches and reached out in any way posible to help - blood donations to the Red Cross were off the charts. Money poured into New York and volunteers were everywhere.

Eight years later - can you still feel what you felt that day? Have we become so distanced from it that it doesn't seem real? Do we still care about what happened that day?

I know I do. I think about it a lot. We have a unique opportunity in Lexington next week - three of the New York Firefighters will be honored at Town Hall on Wednesday night at 6:30. There is a special ceremony on September 10th at the 9/11 sculpture on the courthouse grounds where "SC remembers 9/11". I will be there. I want to shake those men's hands and say "thank you for what you did that day and I'm so very sorry that so many of your friends died". For some reason this year it is vitally important to me to do that. I would like to see people bring their children to the memorial at 9:00 AM on Sept. 10th. it is important that they remember. It is important for us all to remember.

Freedom is not free - come and see that for yourselves and thank the men who were there risking their lives for others that day - unselfishly - and continue to do that today.