How will you remember the 2,977 innocent lives taken on this day?
I doubt that anybody in America will soon forget the day planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon and a heroic take-over of the plane that was to be flown into the U.S. Capital Building.
I know I sat in shock in our apartment in Almaty, Kazakhstan where we had arrived a month earlier. We had just moved into the apartment and were enjoying our first AOL chat with my sister-in-law after figuring out how to set up dial-up internet in sign language since we barely spoke the language at the time.
We turned on the television as the second tower fell and watched a CNN feed with Russian translated over the English words we tried desperately to understand. In shock we wondered how this would affect us and what it meant for the project we had prepared to launch.
Our lives changed that day and that is why September 11 is always something to remember. It’s not an anniversary. It’s not a celebration, but it is a solemn day to remember the innocent lives that were taken.
Terror became normal, fear became a tool for the political elite to use to control others.
Mostly though, I saw amazing gestures by every day Americans who weren’t divided by political party and ideology. I long for those days.
I experienced the love of people we didn’t know, but who knew we were Americans and we were grieving our fellow Americans. We experienced hospitality like seldom experienced before
That is why early in the morning on September 11, 2021 I will lace up my running shoes and take off to run 29.77 miles to honor those who gave their lives in a horrific way. Each stride will be to honor those who weren’t given the opportunity to live out their hopes, dreams and plans.
I’ll be praying for those who died that day, the many first responders who have died since, the 2448 soldiers who gave their lives in a never ending war and the families of those whose lives were altered on a day of terror.
What will you be doing to remember all those who died this horrific day and to honor them and their families?
Here are a couple of suggestions if you’re not a runner:
- 2,977 seconds of silence. Don’t respond on social media posts of any kind with your typical “you’re wrong, I’m right” blast. Hold off for almost 50 minutes from doing so. It’s the least you can do to remember.
- Take 2,977 seconds to be kind to a stranger. This is especially powerful if you show kindness to somebody who believes differently than you do. Being kind is a fantastic characteristic that would go great lengths to remember those who lost their lives.
- Do something totally outside your normal routine for 2,977 seconds. Seriously, it’s just shy of 50 minutes. Listen respectfully to your significant other. Show somebody from a different political persuasion kindness and gratitude. Go for a walk. I don’t care what it is but when you break up your normal, it plants a subconscious thought in your mind that there is something different about this day.
Whatever you do, make this September 11 a special 20th Day of Remembrance and use the 2,977 seconds to create to be a better version of you.
I’ve started a Patreon page to offset the costs of posting and podcasting. My focus is encouraging people to be better versions of themselves.