09/11/2026
25 years. I can't believe that much time has gone by already, but I really can't believe how every memory from that day feels like yesterday. I chose to share this image this year because it's time to reflect as a nation of how far we've come, and just how far we have to go. If you've ever visited the 9/11 Memorial and the reflection pools you know how serene it feels even though you're in the middle of a massive city. You can feel the weight, magnitude, and significance of where you're standing and what you're seeing. The names etched in stone, the gigantic footprints of where the towers stood, the hole in the ground that seems never ending, and the yellow roses on some of the names that get burned in to your memory forever. The yellow roses are placed on the victim's names on their birthdays.
9/11 changed our country and the entire world. As time goes on we start to change the way react to 9/11 as it comes around for another year. Now there's so much more information out there. So many questions people are willing to ask. So many conspiracy theories floating around. A significant percentage of our nation weren't born or were too young to understand the significance of 9/11 so their perspective is completely different than those of us who witnessed it. To some it's just another blip in history that they were forced to learn about in school and watch old news clips and documentaries about that fateful day.
Put all that aside. Educate those who wish to learn more about it. Share your stories of where you were, what you were doing, or what you were feeling. Most importantly, reflect on the humanity we shared that day. We mourned together as a nation, we helped each other, we checked in on each other, we put our differences aside collectively for a day and were just human. 25 years later, that's what I'm going to focus on when I reflect on 9/11.
