Twelve years ago, a phrase commonly seen and heard was “We will never forget.”
And while that’s true, I think a lot of the country has generally moved on from the tragedy of September 11. Which is, of course, what you do after a tragedy. You rebuild and you move on.
But somehow, it feels wrong to let today pass without an acknowledgment of the lives lost twelve years ago in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania. Because we won’t forget.
As part of my job, I have spent some time interacting with a number of people who lost family members on 9/11. One widow in particular said something that really resonated with me. She lost her husband at the Pentagon that day, and her fear was that 9/11 would be remembered in history as the day that New York was attacked. Of course, the loss of life at the World Trade Center was enormous. No one will ever dispute that. But today, family members remember those lost at all three locations. I hope she is wrong and that we never forget.
It’s hard to speak eloquently about a tragedy that has been written about and talked about in so many ways. And I’m sure some people will think that writing about it today is trite. But it just felt wrong to let this anniversary pass without a note, without a moment of silence, and perhaps a moment of hope for the future as well.