.

    On Sept 11, 2001 our world changed forever -- and on Sept 21, 2001 our nation's entertainers gathered together as an industry and in an unprecedented event 30+ television stations shared their message around our nation, and around the world.

    I am an author, and as the actors and musicians on the telethon put it so well, I am not a soldier, I do not defend our freedoms, but I thank the powers that be daily that members of my family, and my friends, who are in the armed services protect those freedoms for me -- and come home safe and sound every night.

    I have spent the past two weeks in a daze.  At first I feared for my friends who live and work in Manhattan, and for a brief moment I was undeniably grateful I had turned down a job in Manhattan a few years ago.  Then news of the Pentagon came and I feared for all my friends and family in the military.  My brain could not focus on whether or not they should be there -- and to a large degree that didn't matter.  It was becoming clear that their training was about to be needed.

    The news has said we are at war -- from my perspective the future simply seems uncertain. 

    We are fighting terrorism and terrorists and the only comparison I can draw is to a battle with cancer.  We are looking for a tumor that we hope to remove, and with chemo will destroy what is left of it and hope that after 5 years we can say we are cancer survivors. 

    Our scientists and doctors have come up with ways to battle a dozen varieties of cancer, and still the odds are not as good as we would wish... and now our nation is about to start seeking out ways to treat this cancer on earth. 

    I am not sure how they will do it, I am not sure if they will stick to traditional means, or try their hands at some equivalent to holistic medicine.  But I am confident that the United States, as part of a United Nations, will make it through with flying colors -- and 5 years from that day we will all know what it is to be a cancer survivor.

    Pictures from the televised presentation of A Tribute to Heroes

(C) Kay Kellam, 2001 for PopArtsPlace.com
Prior to having her first novel, A Life to Di For, published author Kay Kellam enjoyed a variety of jobs that helped to shape her outlook on the world, and her profession.   more...