22 Years Ago Today...

The question, "Do you remember where you were?" has resurfaced throughout history, and each generation has its own moment. The announcement of the bombings of Pearl Harbor, the breaking news of the assassination of President Kennedy - and likely, previous generations could describe to their children other milestones.

For many reading this, it was the events of September 11, 2001, and there can be no doubt that those events affected us profoundly. In many ways, it was because they, literally, brought the concept of terrorism home. They also changed air travel dramatically and permanently.

But more than anything else, it was because we saw not only heartrending loss but incredible courage. We saw first responders of every type rushing in to assist. We saw volunteers doing what they could, and we saw people nationwide coming together in churches, community centers and parks to pray and reflect and most importantly, to not feel alone.

Each year, we get a little further from those events but each year, we stop to remember the incredibly powerful images of that day and the days that followed. Sometimes, it's the image of the firefighters erecting a flag in the ruins. Sometimes, it's the image of crowds of people covered in ash and dust trying to get away from the city. And sometimes, it's the image of strangers hugging each other, just to have human contact at a time when everything seemed not just uncertain but terrifying. Even the flag took on a new significance and was in demand like never before. We saw it fluttering from poles in front of houses and flapping from car windows, and everyone, it seemed, went out of their way to procure a flag and display it.

And inevitably, we went forward. Life moved on and we resumed our activities but September 11 never lost its meaning. Today, we remember the strength and the courage, the loss and the shock, but above all, the ability to come together and be with one another at what had become the darkest time in recent memory.