I Remember

September 11th.

Sunshine. Autumn. Blue skies. Tuesday.

Shock. Horror. Terror. 

Everyone has a story to tell, don't they? If you weren't there experiencing it, you were watching it on television. You remember where you were and what you were doing. 

You remember the point where you realized this wasn't an accident.

You remember the feelings of fear and horror and terror and anger ...

You remember the moment you decided to do something about this.

Some people traveled to New York or to Washington D.C. to try and help. Some helped from home by sending supplies and giving blood. And praying.

Some joined the military to help protect their country and to honor those who lost their lives.

This year's remembrance seems almost like an afterthought because so many of us have been focused on the devastation that Irma has been causing. But even at that, we pause and we remember what happened.

The tributes today and the memories and the news clips and the photos ... they're for me and you. They are to remind us of what happened. The memorials are to make us stop and think of those who were attacked:  on the planes ... in the towers ... at the Pentagon ... They remind us of the heroes who lost their lives rushing into the towers to rescue others, and the heroes who lost their lives in a field in Pennsylvania while fighting against the terrorists who had hijacked their plane.

But the memorials aren't just for us. It stunned me recently to realize that my youngest, Nick, wasn't even two on September 11, 2001. He knows what the date is. He's seen pictures. But he doesn't really remember the day for himself. He has no recollection of what occurred. The memorials and remembrances are for him and thousands like him who were too young to have any actual memories from that day. 

Why would I want my son to remember something so horrible? Because sometimes we need to be reminded that there is evil in the world. We need to know that there are people out there who truly hate the good and right and will do anything to destroy it. We need to be reminded that, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

But my son needs to remember September 11th for another reason as well. He needs to know that there are heroes in the world. There are people who will give their lives trying to help others. He needs to know that there are heroes who will fight evil in all its forms, regardless of political stance or cost to oneself.

I hope that we never forget the lessons we learned that day and the heroic examples that were given. I think memorials are a good tool to remind us of what's truly important; to challenge us to stand for what's right and fight against the things that are wrong.

So today, as you trudge in to your Monday morning workload ... as you clean up from a storm ... as you head out on your errands ... Remember.