Remembering September 11: The Stories We Carry

Some dates stay with us forever.

September 11 is one of those dates. Even as the years pass, the lives lost, the families affected, and the people who stepped forward that day should never become just a part of history. For me, remembering isn’t only about remembering what happened. It’s about remembering who was there. The parents who didn’t make it home. The children who lost a parent. The first responders who ran toward danger. The strangers who helped strangers. The families whose lives were changed in a matter of moments.

Twenty-five years later, we still have a responsibility to remember those stories with the same humanity they deserve. And I think that matters because people can become numbers when we only talk about history. But behind every number was a person with a family, a dream, a favorite meal, a laugh, a home, and people who loved them.

That’s the part I never want us to forget.

People. Their stories. Their lives. Their humanity.

Today, we remember. We honor. And we carry their stories forward.