I remember where I was on the morning of September 11, as almost every American can.  I remember being told by my pastor that the first tower had been hit.  I remember driving to a play date with two of my best friends and being glued to the television.  I remember picking up my child at preschool and holding on a bit more tightly.  I remember me making them hang out in the basement all day because I thought the sky was falling.  I remember the church service the next night and the tears and the hugs and the sadness and the fear.  I remember feeling raw and completely unsafe for the first time ever in my entire life.  I mourned then with all those who lost loved ones, and I still do today.  Almost 3,000 American lives lost.  Unspeakable evil was done that day, and I don’t discount that or mean to show any disrespect when I say what I’m about to say.

But let me tell you what happens every day.

According to Water.org, just under 10,000 people die every day around the world from water-related illnesses.  Every single day.

Over 3,000 children die every day as a result of diarrhea from lack of clean water.  Every single day.

Approximately 3,500 children are infected by, or die from HIV/AIDS related illnesses, every day.  Every single day.

What happens every single day around the world is like if September 11 kept happening every day.  Every single day.

Do you realize…do I realize…that huge numbers of actual people just like you and me are dying every single day and we just pretend that they’re not?

Just because you can’t see it from your house, or it’s not running on the CNN ticker all day every day, does not mean it isn’t true.  Ignorance may be bliss, but only for you…not for the people who are dropping out of school or must drink disease-filled water or are burying their children or their parents.

As our minds are brought back to that fall day almost ten years ago, with the death of the leader of the attacks, let’s not just sit and dwell on the evil that happened.  Let’s think about the evil still happening, and then let’s do something good to fight back.

Join: www.one.org.

Give: www.bloodwatermission.com.

Sponsor: www.compassion.com.