9/11: A Day of Remembrance--We Will Never Forget

9/11. A Day of Remembrance: We Will Never Forget. Our world changed on that date. Like the assassination of JFK, those alive on the day remember where they were when they heard the news from Dallas in 1963 and then again when they watched the planes hit that magnificent building in New York City in 2001. I remember. Like it was yesterday.

But what I remember even more was the next morning when I had to greet the students of my high school classes. I had not yet processed my own confusion and fear and horror. What was I to say, what message did they need following the realization that the world they knew, the world they were about to enter as adults, had just collapsed? I wasn’t sure I could speak without collapsing in front of them. And yet I knew I must.

My routine to start any day was to write a “Quote of the Day” on the white board for their consideration. And so, I began…writing…filling the white board with what I hoped would help them and myself to move past the sense of loss, of hopelessness, of powerlessness.

When I finished writing, I allowed them to know that the important thing was to carry on, otherwise the enemy had surely won. But we took a needed pause to consider, to share a thought or two, but then to carry on, forever changed and forever bonded by our shared grief.

For myself, I never felt more needed in the lives of those young people than I did on that day. Below are a few of the quotes I remember writing on my white board that day.

“Live by the [harmless misbeliefs] that make you kind and brave and healthy and happy.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut

“The most important things in life…aren’t things.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy.” ~ Max Ehrmann

I remember 9/11. I remember what I wore that day. I remember because I’d chosen to wear a top that perfectly matched the gorgeous blue sky that dawned that Tuesday. And every day since when the sky shows off that same gorgeous blue sky, I know I’ll never forget.