Another September 11 is upon us. This is essentially a repeat of the post I wrote last year.
I’ve been putting a lot of effort into being mindful again this year. As another anniversary of 9/11 comes, I realize that the events of September 11 are never something that takes any effort for me to be mindful of. The words “September 11” bring a flood of memories to my mind immediately, every time.
Like most of us, I’ll never forget where I was when I heard, as well as many details from that day and the days, weeks, and months that followed.
I was in New York City when the planes struck. I was at a breakfast meeting in midtown, a few miles north of the towers. I was eating with a gentleman whose daughter worked in (and thank goodness escaped from) the towers. I won’t forget his panic as we heard the news and he told me about his daughter. To make her long story short, she has recovered significantly from the post-traumatic stress that she suffered from the experience.
I’ve got my own story from that day. It’s a story of fear, confusion, and mostly sadness, but as my good fortune would have it, it’s not one that includes the loss of a loved one.
Every September 11, I attend the memorial service in my town. I’ll do that again today. One young man from our town perished in the towers. I didn’t know Chris, but twelve years later—twelve memorial services later—I feel like I did know him.
During the summer of 2012, I went to the national 9/11 Memorial. It’s incredibly intense. I strongly urge you to check it out if you are in New York. You can schedule your visit here.
My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone who lost a loved one on 9/11. May you have peace and may we all experience peace in our time.
My warmest regards,
David
p.s. I welcome your comments, as always…