Reflections of 9/11 on 9/11

So…what do I write today. Not sure yet so I’ll just start.

It’s just about noon here now and they’re still reading out the names. So many people.
But today, I don’t want to just dwell on the sadness. And my sadness is so much different than that felt by those who lost a husband or wife or mom or dad. But as I have said, you can’t compare - it is all relative to ourselves, to our own experiences and lives.

No, today I will not dwell on the sadness. I will try to understand and appreciate all of the good, all of the blessings, all of the beauty that has been created out of that event. I will remember how it felt to be back in the city after 9/11 and how everyone had an unwritten agreement that we would all take care of each other and that we would get through this. Nobody had to say anything - we all said it with our eyes. And we all looked deep into each other in those days, whether stranger or friend, we were all blood. The heroism, the warmth, the love and the support was something I will never forget. As I watched some of the shows last night on TV, one of the Fire Chiefs stated it perfectly, “In our saddest our, it was our finest hour.” That was an extraordinary experience. For me, a real sadness is that it didn’t last. But I did get to experience it. And I know what is possible. And having experienced it and knowing it is possible is what fuels me when I say to you that there is a way…that you can figure it out..that you don’t need to be stuck where ever you are stuck. That every day miracles are real and can happen. In those days after 9/11, everyone chose to come together and support each other. They chose. It can happen. And it can happen for you too. Are you ready to choose? It doesn’t mean that it is easy. in fact, it is usually much harder. That’s why it is so hard to choose. But it is possible. It just has to mean enough to you.

Today, I still feel the sadness and I remember my friends. I will go to the memorial at Sherwood Island with my family and share with my kids little descriptions of everyone I knew that has a stone there - keeping them alive in my memory and sharing these wonderful people with my little ones. I have already hugged and kissed my wife and kids many many times and I will continue to do so tomorrow.

Because that is the key. Tomorrow. Today, we have a lot of focus and many intentions. Today we relive an experience that served as a wakeup call for us. Today we remember again what’s important to us - we remember all the people we love. We realize that there may be things about our life that we want to change. And we’ll start right away tomorrow. But tomorrow is September 12. And when you wake up tomorrow, will you have the same intentions and strength, and courage that you have today? Will you wake up with a renewed sense of purpose and vision and say “Today is the day I make my new beginning” ? Will you keep that fire alive that is inside your belly today and wake up and take the first steps towards your intentions, no matter how small that step is?

Or will you wake up on what’s just another Tuesday morning in September, summer over, school begun, lunches to make, meetings to go to, calls to make, things to clean, trains to catch, elevators to ride, places to drive to, shopping to do…and tell yourself that you’ll start again tomorrow or when it’s a little more convenient or when you have the time…

DON’T! Make a small decision and take a small step. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” I can’t tell you that it will save your life, but it might just feed your soul.