Dear President Obama #235: Bad memories and better days

Reporter's Note: More than a dozen Cabinet Secretaries and the like will help commemorate this anniversary of 9/11. President Obama has called for prayer and remembrance.

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Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

I suppose one of the sadder duties of your new office is commemorating this day; all those innocent people killed, all that fear and chaos, and the sense that the security we lost that morning will likely never fully return, at least not in our lifetimes. I know that you and your Cabinet will be doing things to mark the moment, but I thought you might be interested to know what I do every year at this time: I count up some good things that have happened since 2001.

In the past eight years, commercial passenger jets have taken off and landed safely in this country more than 87-million times.

2-billion times, people went hiking, camping or fishing in our nation’s parks and wild places.

About 4-million patent applications were filed.

More than 1-million new books were published.

Close to 2-billion cartons of apples were grown.

Almost 18-million weddings took place.

More than 32-million babies were born, who will grow up saying 9/11 happened before they were even alive.

The seasons changed 32 times. NFL Football began 8 times. Two Presidential elections were held. We prayed, and played, and danced, and swam, and laughed, and read, and cried, and cared with each other more times than anyone can ever count.

A terrible thing happened eight years ago, and out of respect, decency and wisdom we should never forget. But we should also remember all the good that has come to our country since, and I can think of no better day to do so.

Call if you have a moment. Hope all is well.

Regards,

Tom

Follow Tom on Twitter @tomforemancnn.

Find more of the Foreman Letters here.