Like many, I imagine, this day represents a painful memory of one of the most significant tragedies in the US.
No, it does not compare to the tsunami in Asia from Christmas time a few years ago, nor to other events that have occurred elsewhere in the world. But it was, and still is, a significant milestone in our history, with ramifications far beyond what any could have imagined at the time.
The memories of that day are often triggered by small things - a mention of 9-11, a photograph of New York, another story of a terrorist act somewhere in the world, a plane being rerouted, bomb threats causing a building to be evacuated or an airport to shut down temporarily. And for me, even a particular song. I don't even know the name nor recall the artist, but I cannot listen to that song.
Four days after 9-11 the health club I was a member of sponsored a 24-hour spin-a-thon to raise money for the families who lost loved ones during this tragedy. I remember, to this day, being in that spinning class room, listening to this particular melancholy song, with tears running down my face. And I cannot, even now, listen to that song without profound sadness, and getting choked up. Even as I write these words I find it difficult, and the memory is as clear as it was years ago.
I remember, as vividly as when it happened, watching the live collapse of Tower 2 on TV. There are no words to describe that feeling, or even how I feel about it today. I spent the entire day watching the tragedy unfold, with my younger daughter who took time off from college. And I remember calling our older daughter at college in California to let her know what was happening shlie she was still sleeping, and to reassure her, and tell her we loved her. It felt awful, knowing she was 3,000 miles away and we could not be there with her to express the many emotions that we felt that day.
I remember the high-rise buildings being evacuated in Boston, and the eerie lack of jets flying overhead for the next few days. And the fear we felt flying for the first time soon after, and the resultant attack.
The photo is of a collage my wife and I own, acquired from an artist-friend who lives in NY. Ironically, she created this a year or two before 9-11, but the ghostly view of the Twin Towers in the background tells a haunting story. It was something I had to have, and my wife bought it for me without my knowledge. Sometimes it is hanging, sometimes not. It is a meaningful piece that conveys so much without saying a word.
I imagine each of you has your own memories and thoughts today, and of that awful day years ago. And knowing people who lost loved ones during that tragedy makes it that much harder. I expect I will never forget, and hope I don't. We live in scary times. As we are so often reminded, we must never forget.
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