September 11, 2001

Will any of us ever forget where we were that day in September? I could try to write something to capture the horrors and sadness we all felt eight years ago today, but I most certainly would fall short and not do it any justice. It saddens me that so many Americans have forgotten the struggle of emotions we all wrestled with as a result of the worst terror attacks on American soil. I know we have to move on, life happens and we go forward. But I feel certain events in human history shape us and make us who we are as people, and as citizens. I am different because of 9/11, I am not the same man I was on 9/10. I no longer take life for granted, nor the people that love and surround me. Fortunately, I did not lose anyone that I know and love that day. But I did lose fellow Americans and fellow human beings. Before 9/11, I gave little if any thought to the struggles and losses of others. I was just going through life, enjoying my freedom. It became so clear to me that day, that we are all connected by common beliefs, common space, love, and a common pursuit of happiness. In the blink of an eye it can all change, and for the victims and their families…it did. We take for granted the choices we have in this life. As mundane as they may seem sometimes, we are still free to choose. I think of those trapped in the towers nearly every day. Left with only two choices, both leading to their horrific deaths. I think what freaks me out more than anything, is the thought of coming down to the end of life’s road and there is no fork, no way out, no chance of survival. We dare not forget that day, the emotion, the compassion we felt for those fighting for their lives, and for the brave souls thinking only of those they came to save. Or the passengers of United Flight 93 that made the choice to fight back, and attempt to take back their plane heading most certainly to our nation's capital. Maybe there is something special that happens to people at that moment when their only choice is to survive. Maybe it’s instinct pulled from deep within heroes like Todd Beamer, who said “Let’s Roll”, and they did. I wonder if the heroes of 9/11 were just ordinary people, like you and me. When they answered the call, the odds were stacked against them, but they found it within themselves to rise to the occasion with heroic actions. Let’s hope that we will never have to face such extreme decisions in our lives. Everything being relative in life, we face our own struggles every day. They may pale in comparison to the life and death decisions the heroes of 9/11 had to make, but we can take on Todd Beamer's attitude and tell ourselves to keep pushing towards the mark, and to take on his mantra, “Let’s Roll”.