As a 9/11 survivor, no longer
living in New York City, each anniversary of that dreadful day in September is
problematic for me. By my choice, I live
in a city where there is no one else who knows what it was like to be in New
York that day, let alone knowing what it was like to
be in front of the twin towers.
The weeks leading up to each
year’s anniversary are fraught with a self-imposed strict expectation to honor the
day, and the lives lost, in a proper way.
There is no Ground Zero to go to here in Lancaster,
PA. (Up
until this past April I had not been able to go back to New
York). For
some of the anniversaries I have figuratively just held my breath and anxiously
waited for the day to come and go. For
most of them, the apprehension and depression start weeks before. From the beginning of this year I was
thinking ahead to this year’s 10th anniversary.
What could I possibly do that would sufficiently bring the proper remembrance
to such a significant day?
And now, a week after the anniversary,
I am grateful for the opportunities I was given to publicly remember and
recognize both that day and my place in it.
I shared my story through newspaper and television interviews. Radio listeners in both Singapore
and Australia
heard it in my own words. I was given
the honor of having a reporter and photographer from the BBC spend the day with
me here in Lancaster; that resulted
in my story being on the BBC’s website.
I spoke to 1,800 high school students and a local Rotary Club. I was
able to bear witness of that day during the three worship services at my church
on the day of the anniversary; as well as at a memorial ceremony held in Lancaster.
The attention, though, is
somewhat bittersweet. On the one hand,
I’m glad that people want to know what it was like to personally live through
the terrorist attack. Even after ten
years, it is still so important to me to tell my story; by any means. That is why I wrote a play and a book. I feel it is the least I can do to help
assure that we, as a country, never forget; especially for the generations to
come. I also feel that, as a survivor,
it is the least I can do. It is what I’m
called to do.
The most fulfilling moment this
year was speaking to the teenagers who were mere children in 2001; who have
vague memories that “something bad” happened that day. They were so respectful and attentive as they
listened to me. Teachers told me they
had never seen the students that quiet at an assembly. You literally could “hear a pin drop.” When I finished speaking, they stood and
offered their applause; which moved me to tears. As I came down from the stage some of them
came up to thank me; a few with tears in their eyes; all with true sincerity on
their faces. I will never forget this
one boy, blond, short and husky, who could barely get the words “thank you”
out. I hugged him and he just
cried. I realized, then, that they truly
wanted to know about the day that was to change their world before they were
even old enough to know it.
But now that the anniversary is
over, the attention has ceased. There
are no more questions being asked. No
more tributes being held. Life goes on;
as it should and must. I, myself, have
gone back to my usual routine. The one
difference, perhaps, between most others and myself (and other 9/11 survivors) is
that I will still be thinking of 9/11 every day. I expect it will continue this way throughout
the rest of my life. I will still have
moments when I feel the extreme sadness from a grief that lingers. The images of that day will still come to
mind unexpectedly. The memories remain vivid. I am moving forward with my life but that
doesn’t mean I can forget.
I write all this just to ask that
you be aware that we, the 9/11 survivors, are still healing. We were drawn onto a battlefield that day and
so many of us are still rebuilding the lives that were shattered because of it. There are the families that will always grief
over the loved ones they lost that day and we should be ever mindful of
them. But we survivors also grief for our
lives, as we knew them, that were taken from us that day. Luckily, for most people, they respectfully
and consciously will only have to remember 9/11 once a year. For those of us who were there we remember
every day.