September 12th

The "Memories" piece of Facebook is always interesting. It is a 1/365 daily slice of what you did last year, or 4 years ago, or sometimes even 10 or 11 years ago is really an interesting little time capsule. (Sometimes it surprises me just how long I have been on Facebook!) It's touching to see those endearing pictures of my kids when they were far smaller than they are now, the witticisms that I posted solely to make myself laugh, or the wise words I needed that one day 5 years ago that really still resonate today.

Facebook memories can be poignant as well. Take yesterday, September 11th. We all know the horrific tragedy that took place 19 years ago in New York City, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania when terrorists weaponized our airplanes without thought to the lives onboard. We all can instantly go back to "where we were" that day, and feel those same emotions on a guttural level. 

My Facebook memories yesterday shared with me my thoughts and comments from 8 years ago:

Think most of us today will be thinking about the date, of exactly where we were 11 years ago (as if it were yesterday), and looking to the skies with trepidation as well as gratitude. May a circle of unity and cohesiveness embrace us all today, just like it did in the aftermath of 9-11 back in 2001.

To which, I wrote this yesterday, while I shared those same sentiments from 8 years prior:

8 years ago and yet still rings so true here at Year 19. We came together then as a country, united in collective mourning and resilience. Standing up together in love and support, as one nation. Sadly it took that immense tragedy to get us there. Looking back at those moments and our solidarity against the common enemy, let’s use some of that same fortitude and conviction of the heart as we look at all the turmoil we have been wrestling with this year: the incredible loss of life & normalcy due to Covid, the devastation of California’s wildfires, and the racial injustice that has caused a tsunami across our country. Now, like then, is the time to come together with love, strength, & support of each other, our fellow Americans. 

I remember in 2001, my folks were traveling throughout New England, Canada, and Newfoundland shortly after 9-11 on a five week "Follow the Fall Foliage" adventure. They have story after story of the amazing people they met along the way, especially when in Canada, who were wholeheartedly supportive of them, my parents, as Americans, and for what we endured as a country. The world was so giving and so genuine with each other. Americans were so giving and genuine with each other in the aftermath. 

These stories of my folks, and my own experiences from September and the Fall of 2001 when I was living in Tampa, stay with me. 

Maybe too, it's because of those, I was particularly struck by this article a good friend of mine shared, written by Scott Saxe just yesterday entitled "Spare Me the Hypocrisy, America." It mirrors my morning thoughts as I shared my Facebook memory.  We are all part of the collective American family. We are enduring some hard times right now. We need to be there for each other. We need every day to be "September 12th" in every way.

THAT is the true meaning of #NeverForget.

Facebook Memory, screenshot from my Facebook Memory feed. Photo from my camera, and my GTG 9-11-2019 post, detailing how this 9-11 monument was constructed of steel beams from the original World Trade Center site from September 11th, 2001. https://www.greenteamgazette.com/2019/09/remembering-911.html