As the world remembers and pays tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11 and as America mourns the loss of almost 3,000 lives, there are so many photos that show how families, friends, colleagues have survived the loss.

For me, what stands out is that we have learned the value of life and that just one event can make a huge impact and loss in our lives. And the photo of the salute, the flags and roses stands out for me because we need to remember the lives and how they have changed us. We also need to remember the heroes who gave their lives in order that they can save more people.

There have been so many good things said about those who were killed and those who survived and about the heroes, about the changes and the war, so many tears shed, so many poignant memories. But what one man said struck me as very right. Retired NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson who was the only American not on the planet at the time of the terrorist attacks, at the time he was two hundred fifty miles above the Earth's surface together with 2 Russian cosmonauts. He said and I quote:

"I think it's important for people to continue to learn the lessons from this and make sure that we are in fact making ourselves a better country as a result of it, not regressing or turning inward, or changing ourselves into a society that we won't be proud to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren."