09/11/2026
We love our Town.
We love our Country.
We love our People.
We will never forget.
We often say we will “never forget” 9/11. The day, the events, the lives lost, and the way it shaped our future.
But then I look around at our current world and our country and our ups and our downs and our brokenness and I think...didn’t we forget? Haven’t we forgotten?
9/11 is a day I would wish away if I could. If I could change the past, erase the event, spare the lives-I would, in an instant. But out of the ashes-those horrible, evil, heart wrenching ashes-came 9/12. A day so pure, so united, so courageous, and so whole. An entire country bonded together deeply-through absolute tragedy, yes-but woven together as one.
And so instead of just saying you will “never forget”, posting a photo of the Twin Towers, and moving on with your day, I challenge you to pause. To slow down. To really remember-or if you weren’t alive yet-to learn about:
The thousands of lives taken suddenly and violently.
The heroes who ran towards danger in order to help however they could, and the ones who laid down their lives so that others could live.
The country that America was, united, in the hours and days and weeks that followed.
The loved ones who will forever have a gaping hole where their husband/sister/child/friend/coworker/hero once was.
And the thousands more who signed their life away to this country because they believed in her, and justice, and safety, and service.
To really “never forget” we must continue to share the stories of our lost heroes. We must sit together in the silence and discomfort and grief. We must not erase history, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it may be.
In order to “never forget”, we must relive this horrible day, every single year, together. We must have the hard conversations, look at the photographs, listen to the calls, hear the stories, and watch the footage.
We must, truly, never forget 🇺🇸