09/12/2026
I was in my early 40s on September 11, 2001.
I traveled to New York City often for work. It was a place I knew well, which made watching what happened that day feel even more surreal.
In the aftermath of 9/11, I worked on a communications portal project created to help disseminate information about the recovery and rebuilding efforts to residents, businesses, and tourists.
As part of that work, I interviewed survivors. I spoke with people who had lost family members that day.
I listened to their stories.
Those conversations changed me.
That day changed me.
It changed our country. It changed our world.
I can’t forget. I won’t forget.
There is now an entire generation of adults who weren’t alive that day, or were too young to remember it. They know about 9/11. They’ve seen the photographs and watched the footage.
Yet knowing history and living through history are very different things.
Much like there were defining moments in my parents’ lives that I could understand, but never truly feel the way they did.
For those of us who lived through 9/11, there are images, emotions, and flashes of memory that remain with us 25 years later.
I also remember September 12.
In the midst of unimaginable grief, I witnessed one of the most united periods of my lifetime.
For a moment, the things that divided us seemed much smaller than what connected us.
American flags were everywhere. People checked on neighbors. Strangers showed kindness to one another. We grieved together.
We remembered that we were part of something bigger than ourselves.
Twenty-five years later, our country feels very different.
I don’t know the answer to everything that divides us today.
I do wonder what would happen if, just for today, we treated one another with some of the compassion, kindness, and humanity we showed each other 25 years ago.
Even if only for a day.
Today, I remember the men, women, and children who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
I remember the families who never got to welcome someone home.
I remember the survivors, the first responders, and those who continue to live with loss, trauma, illness, and the lasting consequences of that day.
I remember the stories people trusted me enough to tell.
I can’t forget.
I won’t forget. 🇺🇸🙏
I am also grateful everyday for my one life.
