I usually post something in remembrance of this day. Because this day was important to me. It marked the Maginot Line between childhood and adulthood; the world before and the world after. And I suppose for many, it is this way. Whoever we were, as people, as a society, it changed after this day. Now, the children who were born after have never known what it was like to not be at war, to think of terrorism as something that happened in other places. In some ways, I feel bad for them. They may be children, but they were never innocent, as we were. This day is a touchstone for them, always there, every year. For some it simply marks the destruction of one landmark and the rise of another. For others, the death of a parent, aunt, uncle or friend they never knew. They see the images, they see how horrible it was; but they will never know it like we do. Because they've never known anything else. Much in the way we celebrate Veteran's Day or Pearl Harbor day. We know the horror of it, we were taught the history; but we would never feel it in our bones; not the way we do this day.
So today I don't think I'll remember planes, towers and madness. Today I will think that we lost people who were or could have been dear to us. 3000 souls, more or less, good, bad or ugly; in a single morning. They weren't just heroes, or victims, they were friends and endless potential that went unfulfilled.
I will always remember.
"Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell"
Emily Dickinson
