I Can’t Believe It’s Been 15 Years
This is the first time in a couple of years that I’m actually home on 9/11 as opposed to flying. It wasn’t intentional either way, but I think I prefer being at home, if only to remind my children why today is an important day for us to remember.
15 years Is a Long Time
And yet, it doesn’t seem that way. I won’t say anything as corny as “it seems like just yesterday”. But, I still remember that day very well. I suspect it’s like Pearl Harbor for my grandparents’ generation. There’s certain images, memories that don’t go away. Where you were when you first heard the news. Is it really true? Was it an accident? So many questions, so much pain.
As I remember those who lost their lives on 9/11, and those who put themselves in danger to save others, here are 3 things I’m thinking about:
My friend Haung shared this article on Facebook yesterday about a small town named Gander that played a big role in helping people on 9/11.
It’s such a heartwarming story of human beings doing what human beings do, helping others. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it.
Here’s a NY Times article I read just about a week ago about a ranger from the Flight 93 memorial. Reading this article made me consider the fact that there are high schoolers now who weren’t born yet on 9/11. The memorials that were once built to help us remember are now part of the effort to educate young folks about what happened.
Lastly, if you haven’t visited the Flight 93 memorial, you really should take a day to do so. Frankly, all the monuments of 9/11 are powerful ways to remember. But, I feel like the location of the Flight 93 memorial lends itself to being forgotten about. I only visited it for the first time myself last year.
I was fairly certain I knew what to expect, and yet still found myself moved to tears more than once during our visit.
Hug a loved one today. If you have kids, make sure they understand why today is so important, but do it in a way that doesn’t scare them. It’s a dark day in our history, but it’s also a day where so many moments of personal sacrifice led to incredible acts of courage.
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