09/12/2026
Excerpt from the eloquent post of a friend (thank you Marc!), as we recognize the 25th anniversary of 9/11:
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Today, we remember the 2,977 innocent people killed in New York City, at the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. We remember the first responders and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who fought back, and the families whose lives were forever changed.
Twenty-five years later, an entire generation has grown up with no personal memory of September 11. That makes telling the story of that day even more important.
The scar in the tree does not disappear as the tree grows. New rings form around it. Life continues. But the scar remains.
So it is with September 11.
I also hope we remember what happened in the days that followed. Americans came together. Republicans and Democrats, people of different faiths, backgrounds, races and beliefs—we were, above all else, Americans. Our differences did not disappear, but they seemed far less important than what we shared.
In a country that can sometimes feel deeply divided, that lesson is worth remembering. We do not have to agree on politics, religion, or every issue facing our country to respect one another, care for one another, and recognize what we share.
September 11 reminded us, at an enormous cost, that there is far more that unites us than divides us.
May we never need another tragedy to remember that.
We will never forget.
