Choosing to Remember: Reflecting on 9/11/2001

On this, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I’m reflecting on the phrase, “We will never forget.” Those old enough to have lived through September 11th always ask, “Where were you that day?” I wonder, though, if a better question to ask is, “What have we done since that day?” We should always remember September 11th, but what we remember and how we remember matters.

We all remember where we were September 11, 2001. I was waiting at the bus stop. Others were at school, at work, at home. Some were in New York or DC or Pennsylvania. Some were stationed abroad. Around the world, people suddenly became glued to the television, or radio, or whatever media would give us coverage. We gathered in prayer vigils at home and in our churches. We watched our country collapse. We watched our country go back to war. Everything became different that day.

Our country changed on September 11, 2011. Our individual lives changed. Many lost loved ones. Other loved ones were called to go overseas to fight. People become afraid to drive, afraid to fly, afraid to approach the areas of tragedy. People of certain nationalities were unjustly profiled and targeted. It was a dark time. Is the darkness, though, our strongest memory?

What about the tragic beauty of 9/11? The firefighters who gave their lives to save lives.The members of Flight 93 who said, “Let’s roll,” before the terrorists could fully roll out their evil plans. The turning back to God and prayer. The renewed patriotism. The supporting of our troops, the beauty of the memorials. The trauma of 9/11 left its mark on the United States as a whole, as well as individual friends of the United States. We can choose what to do with those scars, though.

Shortly after 9/11, our family started praying for military members by name through what I believe is a now defunct organization. We downloaded a daily prayer guide for the military for use in this purpose. I still have both the guide and names of select men in my Bible. Though I have no idea what happened to the original men I had, I still pray for them. Over time, I have added and subtracted the names of other military people I know personally, so that I may remember them in prayer. When I have worked with kids born after 9/11, I have taught them about what happened. I have paused to remember lives lost when visiting healing fields. I have run in a Patriot Run race for several years to raise money for a local honor guard. I have thanked veterans and public service people for serving when I have seen them. Little things, but things I can do to try to remember September 11th well.

We will never forget, but we can choose how we remember.