AS I CLIPPED freshly-washed laundry onto the clothesline with 35-degree temperatures nipping my fingers under a heavy sky this morning, I contemplated what I would write here about Osama bin Laden. I could not not write something.
But what could I, an average American in a mid-sized Minnesota community, write about the death of this al-Qaida leader, this terrorist, this murderer, this most-wanted fugitive, one of the most-hated men in the world?
What profound words could I pull together that would express my gratitude to the U.S. intelligence community and military?
What could I say to those who lost loved ones in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, in the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks?
I could write nothing that hasn’t been spoken, written or thought.
And then I remembered a photo I took about a week ago of a billboard while traveling along Interstate 90 east of La Crosse, Wisconsin. I have no idea who posted the patriotic message.
But today, for me, this image summarizes how I feel as an American, as my country, the United States of America, stands, united and free.
© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I think your picture said it all. No words needed.
That’s what I was aiming for. One photo. Few words.
Reality check. Get over my losses. My daughter’s classmate from Rochester, MN was on one plane that hit the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11. I am a happy Mom and Grandmother of one fabulous grandson.
Vicki, I am so sorry to hear of your daughter’s classmate who was on one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers. That is a loss from which a family, and friends, can never fully recover.
You’re right in that it does make the loss of your home in the September 2010 flash flood in Hammond seem more bearable.
I think we all realize that at some point, that whatever personal difficulty we are facing, it could be worse.
Yes, It’s in tonight’s Rochester Post Bulletin. Look under Bin Laden ‘s Death did little, her name is Jessica Sachs. Poor girl, poor family. I followed it from the beginning, realizing their loss, seeming so close to home. I hope they know that there are people that think of them.