“I Remember” || What to Say About 9/11 & Grief
For a person in grief, there are almost no two sweeter words than, “I remember …”
Those two words begin stories, spark memories, open old joys, and bring feelings back to us with blazing clarity.
On a day like today I wondered, what would I write for this mortuary blog? what is there to say still about this infamous, monumental, and mournful day? And the only thing that came back to me was this: I remember.
I grieve 9/11 each year. Last week I felt a nausea settle over me as I thought of the day’s events and anticipated it’s coming. We are, so many of us, grieving together today as Americans and as people; people who will never forget the tragedy that unfolded that morning. We connect to each other and to something greater than ourselves on this anniversary when we come together to remember.
And so I encourage you today, to share this image below if you don’t know what else to do.
Join me in remembering this day.
“I just remember looking up and thinking, ‘How bad is it up there that the better option is to jump?’”
New York Fireman
Sept. 11, 2001
“If anyone can hear me, make some noise and we’ll come help you.”
New York Rescuer
Sept. 11, 2001
“We are breathing the dead,
taking them into our lungs
as living we had taken them
into our arms.”
Hettie Jones
New York City
Sept. 11, 2001
“A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.”
President George W. Bush
Sept. 11, 2001
“We have met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity.”
Rudolph Giuliani
Mayor of New York
Sept. 11, 2001
31 Comments
Thank you Molly for taking the time to write about this today. I feel that as time goes on many people seem to “try” and forget or suppress their memories and their feelings from that tragic day. I will never forget where i was, what I was doing, the shock, the fear, and ultimately falling to my knees in tears and praying. I still grieve for those that lost their lives that day, for the families that lost their loved ones, for all of us that lost a little of ourselves through this tragedy. Again, thank you for taking the time to write about this and for reminding us to “remember”.
Christina, thank you for your words. I’m so glad you found this blog important and it’s message to “remember” powerful. We are all caught still in a grief that lingers on, we will NEVER hear the date of September 11th and not think of the attacks, the lives lost and the grief that overwhelmed us. I think you are right to still grieve for those families and I thank you for the prayers and tears you’ve shed for them. They’ve mattered.
Molly
Thanks Molly for sharing , I remember being in disbelief that something like this could happen to our country. This is a day we will all never forget and grieve for the families and their loss. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers on this day.
Sincerely
Joe Lavoie
That’s well said Joe, very well said. Thank you!
Molly
Molly,
This is very poignant and touching. The brevity of this blog is overflowing with the words of the heart.
This is one of those instances where I think “less is more”. I could never hope to say everything I feel about this day and because of that, and because of my respect for what so many went through and my poor ability to truly understand, I will not dishonor their memories with my surmising.
I’m glad this touched you & spoke to your heart,
Molly
I was 10 years old, and my 11th birthday was only 2 weeks away. I was packing my stuff into my JanSport (brand new for the new school year), and my step mom came into my room and said that I wasn’t going to school. I went to turn on cartoons, and couldn’t find them. The stations were set on death and tragedy. I will never forget it.
A seemingly normal morning turned upside down. Thank you for sharing from your perspective Michael, isn’t it incredible the details we remember from that morning? They seem set in stone, within the solid markers of our memory.
Thank you for sharing,
Molly
Molly,
It certainly is one of those moments in our county’s history that you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at that moment. We had a Grief seminar scheduled that day, Dr. Bill Hoy was facilitating. As an executive team we pondered if we should cancel or if anyone would show up. Then it came to us that this is exactly where we needed to be. Many of the participants did show up, obviously some did not. But together we all talked and grieved as a family and community. It was exactly what was needed. Every year I do remember and am taken back every time.
Chuck
Doesn’t it seem so providential that that day was set on our calendars as the beginning of grief outreach to our community? I think you are 100% correct when you say “we were where we needed to be” – no doubt about it.
Thank you for sharing, Chuck.
Molly