I am a chronic journaler. I have mentioned before that sometimes I will randomly look back at past entries—from a year, five years, 10 years ago—and be astonished and saddened that I don’t remember much of anything from the particular day described. An obvious shortcoming of the human brain…or at least my brain.

What is the best way to reflect on 9/11?

From the surface, we might say that September 11, 2001, is a day we would like to forget. But I think what we mean to say is that we wish 9/11 never happened. Since it did happen, we must never forget.

Despite my lapses in memory that are made so obvious by my 25 years of journaling, I have no difficulty remembering September 11, 2001. I often, especially during September, re-hash my day from 23 years ago…

Wake up and turn on TV to see confusion in Times Square.
Anchor greets reporter with “good morning.” Reporter grimly responds, It’s not a good morning.
Television coverage projected onto main gathering spot wall at high school.
Principal cries on intercom when addressing school.
Football coach gives speech at practice, telling us what happened was an attack on us all.
Talk to my parents that night about what happened.

Of course, solely reflecting on my own day is tone deaf and selfish. I try to put myself in the position of those innocent people on the planes, in the buildings, and on the scene as first responders who experienced unspeakable horror and lost their lives. Each year around this time I watch different documentaries about that awful day and gain more perspective. But I am conscious of the fact that making my 9/11 remembrance an annual thing is hollow. For the past couple years I have followed a TikTok account that shows September 11 clips, news reels, and interviews. It keeps the tragedy top of mind year-round but I am not kidding anyone, following a social media account doesn’t cut it.

So, as I have mentioned before, perhaps just educating those who weren’t alive during the attacks is the best approach. Last year, Sloan brought up 9/11 for the first time. She questioned me about it again last night. This time around, she wanted to know how the planes flew into the towers and what happened to those aboard. I told her.

Let us pray for the souls of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2021, and for their surviving family members. Don’t Blink.

Past 9/11 Blog Posts
An Anniversary That Hits Harder Each Year (2023)
Putting Faces to the Victims (2021)
Never Forget, Always Educate (2019)
Putting Hurricane Florence in Perspective (2018)
What Touched Me on This 9/11 (2017)
Standing With Unity (2016)
10 Years Later (2011)