Never Forget

9/11 is forever seared into our collective consciousness as we watched in real-time the unimaginable: planes crashing into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  It was horrifying watching the people fleeing the towers as first responders were heading into the fire, only to have them come crashing down on them.  Fear and confusion followed as we watched, not knowing what would happen next.

I found out about the attack when my parents called to say their flight was canceled because of what had happened in New York.  I turned on the TV to see the horror of what was happening.  My son hadn’t left for school yet, and I wasn’t sure if I should take him or keep him home.  In the end, I dropped him off as I walked with other stunned parents, trying to make sense of what was happening.  I left the TV on, listening for updates and trying to understand this.  Watching the stunned people trying to escape the cloud of smoke and debris was heartbreaking. If it was traumatic for adults, it was even more so for kids.  I still remember my son asking us to turn off the TV.

There were the initial deaths of those on the planes and at the point of impact. As the rescue turned into a recovery operation, the full extent of the loss of human life became real.  For many family members, the last contact was a call or a message on their phone from their loved one. 2996 lives were lost that day, with many first responders still dealing with the health effects of cleaning up the towers’ wreckage.  Multiply that number by those left behind: husbands, wives, partners, children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends.  The profound sense of grief that these people suffered was multiplied by having their loved one’s death repeatedly played on television in a never-ending loop.

Sudden death, especially an act of terror, is traumatic. We can’t undo what has happened, but we can make a conscious choice to bring our best selves to the world and make incremental changes to make it a better place to live.

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”

Mother Teresa