Always remember

Note: I wrote this piece for my children on the first anniversary of 9/11, that even though they have no memory of 9/11, they can remember, too.

One year ago today, as a bright, new day began in New York, American Airlines flight 11 struck the north tower of the World Trade Center.  It was first in a series of terrible events on September 11, 2001 that we still cannot fully understand.

Today, we come together as a country to say more strongly than ever: we will always remember.  As we remember, we'll undoubtedly take time to sort through our own experiences that day: what we saw and heard, how we felt and the impact that both have left on each of us.

But the greatest lesson of September 11 is that in difficult times, we can find our greatest strength in looking and acting outside of ourselves. That's why today we say, most especially, that we will always remember the heroes of September 11: those who died, those they left behind and those who responded to the call for help.  We observe the anniversary of September 11 this morning with a moment of silence for all of them.

We remember all those who died.  We hope our quiet pause can do them some measure of honor.  It cannot give them the full honor they deserve, but we must try.  No morning—on this day or any other—has enough silent moments to honor the sacrifice they made on September 11.

We remember all the families they left behind.  When we pause today, we will be reminded of the silence left in their lives by the events of September 11.  We hope that it has been filled with an understanding for the deep admiration we have for their courage in the face of profound tragedy.

We remember all those who responded to the call for help.  As we struggled on September 11 to understand the evil that caused what we saw, those who responded that day were—and still are—a strong, simple reminder of what is good.  The bravery and dedication they and others have shown in the days and months that followed still make us proud.

Today, we pause to remember the remarkable legacies of all those we honor, among them: sacrifice, courage and bravery.  We have and will continue to draw incredible strength from them.  We will always be grateful.  We will always remember.