I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really proud of my fellow Americans of late.

Seems like many of us have pulled together more tightly, regardless of background, age, skin color, religion, political beliefs and all the other things that often polarize us in today’s society.

Maybe in a strange way bin Ladin and all his fanatical cronies have done us a favor, simply by reminding us of what’s truly important in life

and death.

None of our magnificent national monuments, military and business centers, several of which were either destroyed or targeted by the terrorists, would mean a thing without the minds and muscle, the ideas, the energy and the sheer chutzpah of the great American men and women who design, build, work in and protect them

and us

day after day.

It’s people that matter.

People are what gives a nation its character, strength and greatness. The Taliban would love to see Americans turn tail and run fleeing into caves, holing up with bottled water and boxes of ammo, or attacking one another in the streets in a bloody, chaotic civil war.

Bin Laden wants us to believe this is a ‘holy war’ with a decadent, corrupt America battling against Islam.

Wrong.

This is about a group that is narrow-minded to an ugly extreme and cowardly in its faceless terrorist tactics.

This group doesn’t believe in the concept of democracy, freedom of religion or separation of church and state.

These are men who believe women should still be treated as chattel.

This is a society that doesn’t allow music

any kind of music

or art and certainly not the free exchange of ideas.

They believe we should all be just like them.

As some of our New York friends might say, &uot;Fuhgeddahbouddit.&uot;

Now to a happier topic

I like to encourage others to count their blessings and I would be remiss if I didn’t extend a great big thank you to all the wonderful people who have been such a blessing to my family and I these last few weeks.

(Hey, Mr. Browne, I remembered

other first, then me.)

Our precious church family at Union has delivered dish after dish of delicious food to my parents: fresh turnips and golden corn bread, crispy fried chicken, potato salad, meatloaf, rich brownies, dense, moist pound cake and much, much more.

They’ve also brought smiles and hugs and loving words, all of which did my folks a world of good.

Betty Carl Thomas, mom to that ever-capable nurse, Betty McGough (remember the days of the ol’ school bus, BJ?), has truly gone ‘above and beyond the call.’

Not only has she provided and/or delivered several meals, she’s also come over these rough dirt roads and taken mom to town to visit a special friend, Lois Early, in the nursing home.

My mom had a wonderful time catching up on things with this dear lady.

‘Miss’ Betty also came over one day and cleaned the house.

She even offered to wash the car (but Mama sent Daddy to the car wash before she had the chance to tackle that one).

A lot of people say,

&uot;If there’s anything I can do…&uot;

Well, these folks mean it

and do it.

It’s people like these so-called ‘corrupt, decadent’ Americans that make Butler County and Crenshaw County, Alabama, USA a great place to live.