Time to remember

On September 10th 2001, I was just finishing up a trip visiting my then girlfriend ( now my wife ) in Los Angeles who was finishing up school at USC.   The entire plane ride back to Denver I sat in my chair fuming after watching Eddie McCaffrey break his leg during the Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and New York Giants.   Eddie Mac was one of the key players on my Fantasy Football team that year; a year where my chances had been really high to win the league.  That night, I went to bed grumpy.

The next morning, I woke up to phone call from my girlfriend who simply said "Turn on the news."  I turned on the television just in time to watch the second plane crash into the World Trade towers.  In that moment, thoughts of football and injuries where long gone and replaced by a confusion that I had never experienced before and hope to never experience again in my lifetime.  It was clear that something important and horrible had just happened, but none of us were able to make sense at what it was.

Like many others that day, I did my best getting myself together and headed into work.  Not a lot of work was accomplished that day.   I remember standing in the lobby of Spivack Vision Center, one of my clients at the time, surrounded by a sea of employees and patients; all staring at the television.   We stood there in silence and watched the first tower fall.  Nobody spoke.  Nobody knew what to say.  

As the days went by, we began to understand what had happened.  We had become witnesses to unimaginable cruelty and heartbreaking heroism.  In that day, we experienced the worst and best of human nature.  And for awhile, we were brought together as a community and as a nation, and showed each other our capacity to care and help and heal.

12 years later, we are charged with the responsibility to never forget.   Like generations before us who lived through the attack of Pearl Harbor, or the Kennedy assassinations or global wars, we are part of those in history that can answer the question "Do you remember where you were when?"   We have been given the burden and honor of ensuring that we remember that day, not as a slogan, but as a testament to those who display the highest qualities of human nature standing up against those who display the lowest.

It is a time to remember our potential for good when we unite.

And it is a time to remember that there are still people out there who continue to sacrifice.   To my wonderful clients Bunny and Frenchie Fransua whose son is getting ready to deploy on his 3rd tour to Afghanistan, we thank your son for his sacrifices and devotion and pray for his safety.

To all my friends, family members and clients who have served or continue serving to protect our way of life: we will not forget you!