Pub. 5 2016 Issue 4

The CommunityBanker 20 As I reflect on 2016 while watching 2017 whip around the corner, I would be remiss if I didn’t memorialize celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 this year. Like so many, I find myself immersed in reflection, a day filled with loving respect for all those who lost their lives in an act of terror that attempted to tear away the very fabric of our democracy. I am also filled with a renewed commitment to live each day to honor the sacrifice of so many, not only on 9/11, but the men and women that protect our country with all of it scars, stars and stripes on the battlefield, running into a burning building, patrolling our communities, and responding to the next call to action every single day. It was my privilege to visit the National September 11 Memo- rial Museum in Manhattan. The most gut-wrenching part of the incredible memorial for me was the expansive subterranean wall beneath where the two towers once stood. The wall is marked with 2,983 individual squares of delicate paper hand-painted in differ- ent shades of the clear blue sky before the attack – one square for each person killed on September 11th and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The squares surround a 60-foot-long inscription, in 15-inch letters made from the steel of the Twin Towers: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time. Virgil.” What a stark, but heartfelt reminder that each of us make an impact on all of those around us, whether it be good or bad, it is undeniably an impact. The silver lining to that horrific day was the way in which we, the people of this great country, pulled together, united in a common goal. We focused on surviving to live another day and stood tall in the face of an enormous challenge. We vowed to never let terror take away the joy we each experience daily in this land of the free and the brave. I miss that bond of unity, the dismissal of petty grievances and the incredible feeling that together we can and will accomplish anything. I’m sick of the divisive resurgence of violence, politics and meaningless rhetoric, destruction, discrimination based on an individual’s skin color, religion, or the uniform they choose to wear as our law enforcement and all first responders. So many seem to have forgotten that our country is built on the backs of each who came before us with a dream of a land where determination and sheer will power is all you need for real success. I amweary of the deficit of respect for the very diversity that makes us stronger. We can change that. Don’t ever forget that the 9/11 terrorists’ priority target was the symbol of our financial freedom. The terrorists imagined that by leveling the soaring towers they would knock the spirit out of our very existence. Little did they know they would galvanize us into a unified response and a resurgence of American Pride. Since then, we have nitpicked away at our unity since 9/11 with each and every self-serving action taken by a politician, a greedy mortgage loan originator, a dishonest customer service representative, a narrow-minded and unethical bank employee that has forgotten we exist to serve our customers, our com- munities. This past campaign was so angry, so hurtful and ugly on all sides of the competition. Despite what was evidenced to be a country divided, it is our job as community banks to bridge those gaps and those differences, one customer at a time. We provide safe channels for every customer’s dreams to grow and evolve to meet the unique challenges each faces personally and professionally. I see that happening every single day across our communities through our leadership as community bank- ers. Don’t let anyone try to take that away from us or forget to tell that story. A Legacy of Honor- VACB By Patti Joyner Blenden, CRCM F E A T U R E