Always Remember September 11th

 

25 Years Later: Remembering September 11th 🕊️

September 11, 2001, is a day that I know through history, stories, photographs, and the memories of the people who lived through it. I wasn't born yet. I was born a year later, so I never got to experience that day or understand what the world felt like before it changed forever.

But as I’ve gotten older, September 11th has started to feel different to me.

This year marks 25 years since that heartbreaking day, and something that has really stayed with me is realizing that I am now around the same age as many of the people whose lives were taken. When I think about that, it makes the tragedy feel much more personal. They had families, friends, dreams, plans, favorite songs, favorite foods, inside jokes, and so many ordinary moments that they thought they would have the chance to experience. They were living their lives, just like we are today.

Growing older has made me realize just how young so many of them were. They weren't simply names and numbers in a history book. They were sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends, coworkers, and loved ones. They were people with entire futures ahead of them.

Living in New York also makes September 11th especially meaningful to me. The city I know today carries the memory of what happened, even for those of us who were not here to witness it. The skyline changed, families changed, and an entire generation grew up knowing the significance of that day.

I may never fully understand what it was like to live through September 11, 2001, but I can remember. I can learn. I can listen to the stories of those who were there. And most importantly, I can honor the people who were lost by remembering that each of them was a person with a life that mattered.

Twenty-five years later, we remember them. 🕊️

May their families, friends, and everyone who continues to carry their memories be surrounded by love and peace.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.