Never forget

In response to Mina’s post.

I cry every 9/11. I remember clearly waking up in Los Angeles that morning. We had just moved there the day before, taking the morning flight from Dulles to LAX on September the 10th. Family, that knew we were moving but not the exact date, called us to make sure we were okay. We were alive, but we were not okay. Nobody was that day, and for months afterwards. We were all anticipating another attack and attempting to find our balance in a world still shaking with shock, sadness, and fear.

Every year, on the anniversary, I seek out radio or television programs to relive the event and I am right back there, trembling, tears running down my cheeks, reaching out for my husband’s hand, squeezing my daughter close. I am not sure why I need to feel that fear and heartbreak every year. But, from the amount of news coverage on this 10th anniversary, I suspect I am not alone.

We have a lot of ways to remember and respect the lives of those who have passed before us: funerals, wakes, memorial services, statues, plaques, lighting candles, visiting graves, and holidays. Those of us who experience tragedies don’t need to be told not to forget, we just need to be given time and a safe place to remember.