Every year around this time I write a 9/11 post. This year will be no different. Yet in some ways it is different. As the years pass, I think about it less and less. It used to weigh on my heart as the anniversary was a few weeks away. But this year, I don't think I thought about until it was about a week away.
Although I don't think time heals all wounds, time can certainly lessen the memories and the pain. But as I watched streaming video of the remembrance ceremony today, I saw just how raw and painful this day is for those who lost loved ones during that relatively short amount of time. My heart ached for the people whose voices cracked as they read the names of their loved ones. My eyes welled up with tears, particularly as I watched and heard young people say the names of their relatives and most definitely when someone had lost a parent or child.
Every year I allow myself to be somber and reflective. I always watch a few 9/11 programs; my favorite is "102 Minutes That Changed America." I am very interested in the personal stories. There are many to be told.
I will never forget that day, what I was doing, where I was. And my reliving it every year helps to ensure this, even though it is painful to me. No matter how many times I watch the planes crash into the WTC, watch the towers fall, or see people as they jump to their death, I get choked up. I am pretty sure I always will.
Tomorrow I will go back to the way things were.
But not today.
Comments