Sep. 11: Looking back

I dread September 11 every year, and have since 2002. It’s not like I wish the anniversary of the terrorist attacks could go by unnoticed, but seeing the photos and bringing up the emotions most of the country felt on that day is tough. It’s so tempting to avoid the Internet and television today.

“Never forget.” Like I could. The tears come easily on this anniversary. It’s even harder on a sunny day like today, when the weather feels bright and cheery like it did that morning in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. How could a day that starts out so beautifully unfold into such horror?

Last year, September 11 was the first day of the last week of my thirties, an appropriate time for me to blog about the life-changing events that occurred during that decade. It’s good for me to look back on those kinds of posts. Ah, reflection. Sometimes (though rarely, I admit) I can see growth and maturity. Sometimes I can simply say “that post meant a lot to me.” Last year’s post? It meant a lot to me.

I did not blog about 9/11-ish matters around the 9/11 anniversaries until 2007. This is partly because I wasn’t blogging as consistently before that, but I also think it took me a while to put my feelings into words. When I was finally able to do it, I shared my most personal memories of September 11, 2001, as well as the long-term changes it brought to my life.

I ask you to share your thoughts about that day in a comment, and for my bloggy friends, encourage you to write them up in your own blog.

If nothing else, the anniversary of 9/11 should be a day we are reminded to always hold our loved ones close, right?