09/11/2026
Steve called from work. "Turn on your TV."
I didn't understand what I was seeing - not at first.
Then the truth became clear. I held my babies tight and cried as we watched the towers come down, praying for those trapped inside, for the first responders, for my friends and colleagues who were flying that day. Praying.
All these years later, it doesn't seem like a real thing. My husband and I often walk through the 9-1-1 memorial garden at the edge of Lake Ontario and we read the names of the Canadians who died that day.
The world has changed in immeasurable ways since that day. What hasn't changed is that just as it was on 9-1-1, we still see people showing the worst of themselves, and we see people showing the best of what we humans can be. On this day, and every day, strive to be the best of humanity and not the worst.
I think of those still affected by the trauma of that day - survivors, first responders, their families, those of us who watched helpless as events unfolded in real time. I still pray.
#911