September 11 -- Happy Birthday, Colt

As we mark this 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attack on our country, each of us remembers well exactly where they were, who they were with, and the shock and horror when they realized what was happening.  We will never forget...not the horror, not the tragedy nor the sacrifices of so many on that day.  On September 11 our generation lost its innocence.  The images of that day will forever remain as a defining moment for those of us who were witnesses, much as Pearl Harbor defined our parents' generation. It is our obligation to make sure those not yet born or too young to remember that day do not forget either.  

But September 11 is not a date without pleasant memories as well.  Today, we mark Colt's tenth birthday.  

He celebrated by taking a long walk with us in Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell, Montana.  And two years ago, on September 11, 2014, we all celebrated his birthday by playing in the year's first snowfall in Custer, South Dakota.  

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!