09/11/2026
September 11 - a day of sadness and remembrance since 2001.
I remember that morning vividly.
I was living in Chicago, and my roommate William called me into the living room.
“Alex - come quick! You need to see this.”
I looked at the TV and saw the first tower on fire. It had been struck by a plane.
As we watched the news, suddenly a second plane came into view and crashed into the other tower.
We both screamed, then looked at each other in shock.
“This can’t be an accident.”
What followed was a horrific day for America and for people around the world.
I had friends and family in New York, and thankfully none of them were hurt. My cousin was supposed to work in the towers that day but had called in sick. She was one of the lucky ones.
Later that day, as planes were grounded and we slowly began to understand the magnitude of what had happened, William and I heard something outside our building in Wicker Park.
People were singing and playing drums.
We grabbed our drums and went outside to join them.
Dozens of people had gathered in a huge drum circle - singing, playing, mourning and simply being together.
I will never forget that moment.
Amid so much horror and sadness, I had never felt such a sense of connection and love for my country. People came together - not just across America, but from around the world - to mourn, support one another and help in any way they could.
25 years later, our world can sometimes feel more divided than united.
I hope we can find our way back to that sense of “we’re all in this together” - and that it doesn’t take another tragedy to remind us.
Love and light to those who lost their lives that day, their families, the first responders, and everyone whose life was forever changed by September 11.
