25 Years Later: We Remember 9/11

It’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years since September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years. And yet, I can remember that day as clearly as if it happened yesterday.

I had just finished driving my school bus routes that morning and was returning to my car. As I approached the gate, someone was standing there telling me to go home and turn on the news.

When I got home and turned on the television, what I saw was unbelievable. They were showing the replay of the plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers in New York City. And then, as we were watching, we saw it happen live—the second plane flying into the other tower.

The feeling that overcame me in that moment is difficult to put into words.

It was horror.

It was devastation.

It was confusion.

And it was fear.

What do we need to prepare for? What is coming next? Is this a full-scale attack on our country? Do we need to prepare for war?

So much was going through my mind and my heart in those moments.

And then came the realization of just how many lives had been changed forever.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day. Mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters. Husbands and wives. Brothers and sisters. Friends, coworkers, first responders, and people simply going about their everyday lives.

And while we remember those who died, we must also remember the countless loved ones who were left behind to carry on without them.

Twenty-five years later, their absence is still felt.

Children grew up without a parent. Spouses had to learn how to move forward without the person they had planned to grow old with. Parents buried their children. Families celebrated birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings, and other milestones with an empty place at the table.

And then there are the heroes—the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, emergency workers, and ordinary people who ran toward danger while others were running away.

We remember their courage.

We remember their sacrifice.

We remember the families who waited for loved ones who never came home.

And we remember a nation that, for a brief time, seemed to put aside its differences and stand together.

Twenty-five years later, we must never allow ourselves to forget.

Not the lives lost.

Not the families left behind.

Not the courage displayed.

Not the sacrifices made.

And not the way that day changed our country and so many of us personally.

September 11, 2001, is a day we will never forget.

25 years later, we remember. We honor. We grieve. And we will never forget.

May God continue to comfort every family who lost someone that day and every person whose life was forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001.

Never Forget 🇺🇸