What better way to remember 9/11 then write about it on 9/11. I as mentioned always have had a hard time dealing with death and tragedies. When a tragedy happens my mind just goes and goes. I think about how it could happen and how so many people are devastated by these tragedies. When I lose a loved one it takes me a while to process it and I think about it all the time. When my grandma passed a wrote a letter about her. When my dad passed, I wrote about what he meant to me. When my good friend passed away, I wrote a letter about our friendship and our adventures. Same for when my uncle passed away, I wrote a letter to him and my Aunt on our special relationship. Writing to me is therapeutic and seems to help. I wrote a Blog on time and in that writing, I mention 9/11, Sandy Hook Elementary school, and Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash. Each of these tragedies stuck out to me. (Along with many more) How a normal life can be changed so quickly.
Every 9/11 I flip by TV channels and see specials about this day. I always stop and watch them. I can’t imagine all the pain families felt on that day. Today I woke up and was feeling a bit lazy, started looking at my phone (Tik Tok) and phone messages from people calling loved ones from 9/11 were playing. It was from people on the planes and some from inside the buildings who just wanted to leave a message to tell their loved one’s goodbye and how much they loved them. Listening to some of them and how strong and calm they were trying to be. I would imagine they wanted their loved ones to remember the last message and not have it seem like they were terrified. To have to make a phone call like that is unthinkable and would be the worst phone call/message to ever receive.
I remember the day 9/11/2001 as I am sure most people remember that exact day. I woke up and headed to work at my mortgage office to start the day. At the time I owned a mortgage broker firm and we all arrived slightly after 9am. The business next store asked if we heard what had happened and opened their meeting room with the TV on. We all stood there watching the events of that day unfold. After about an hour I decided to head home for the day. I was extremely distraught but after returning home I was glued to the TV for the next several days. Seemed as if the world shut down.
When these terrible events happen it always brings me back to relationships, forgiving people, and not living a miserable unhappy life. We all have stress and bad days but in perspective a day like 9/11 we are all probably doing good. It is a day where you think wow you never know what tomorrow holds. I might not be here tomorrow. At some point we will all run out of tomorrows.
After 9/11 happened the Country seemed to come together. People seemed more patient, more understanding, and more supportive of America in general. We knew we all had to look out for one another, and that evil was out there and could strike at any moment. Look out for your neighbor. That was a very patriotic time in America. Fast forward Twenty-Two years to today on 9/11 and the Country seems like it could not be in a worse place. There are so many issues people disagree on. It seems like people are so less tolerant of others and their beliefs.
Going back to that day the main thing that always sticks out in my mind is how many families lives were changed on that September morning. The obvious is all the people who lost their lives that day. In some cases, it was probably a normal morning reporting to work in the world trade center, flight attendants, and emergency workers. How was their last Twenty-Four hours spent? They did not know they would be gone in such a short time. Did they spend extra time with their kids and tuck them into bed that night? Were they busy getting ready for travel or a meeting and did not have time to spend with family? When they left the house did, they say I love you? Did they give their kids a kiss goodbye? I think of all these questions about what I would want to do if I was gone suddenly.
I would want to leave the house happy. I would want my wife to know how much I loved her when I leave the house. You truly do not know if you will return. A simple task could turn out horribly. I started writing on this site because of an high school friend who suddenly passed away. He had writings and videos, so his kids and family have his ideas, thoughts, and memories from him.
There are so many heartbreaking stories from that day. There are so many heroic stories from that day. There are so many Armed forces members who battled for our Country due to events on that day. There were so many first responders who unknowingly lost their lives that day. All they were doing was trying to help others and save lives – not worried about their own life.
There were many people who made sacrifices on that day and the days after trying to help in anyway possible.
I believe people are good people. Bad things happen and we jump to help. We see national disasters, crimes, wars, and people suffering and we are all ready to lend a helping hand. My only wish is don’t wait for something terrible to happen to be that good person and jump in to help. Try to be a positive difference maker every day.
I believe 9/11 will always be a historical sad tragic day. Anyone who lived through it will never forget it. The younger generation that will learn about it will see how unimaginable that day was for America. My younger kids seem to have questions about 9/11 and trying to understand that day. My hope is that we can remember that day and the days following and be better human beings to each other. One minute you could be sitting next to a stranger, the next minute you and that stranger are fighting for your lives together. I am sure when passengers boarded those planes in the morning on 9/11 they never thought they would be fighting together and sharing their last moments here on earth. They were praying, sharing phones, making calls, and ultimately fighting the hijackers. Strangers who became friends in a short period of time.
People come in and out of our lives all the time. All we can do is hope to have a positive impact on every person who crosses our path even if it is only for a moment.