09/12/2026
I am part of the last generation that remembers life before 9/11 and remembers what it felt like when everything changed
“Never forget” wasn’t just a phrase we saw on signs or heard every September
It was something that was ingrained in us from a young age
We remember what life felt like before this day
And we remember the feeling that nothing would ever be the same after it
I remember the American flags flying everywhere
I remember the country coming together in the days + weeks after
I remember the anniversaries in the years that followed, as more stories were told, memorials were created, songs were sung, and pieces of that day became part of our history
This year, I sat down to draw each star by hand to represent each life lost
Star after star, I kept thinking about all the stories I’ve heard over the years
And all the stories we will never hear because 2,977 people didn’t make it home
Twenty-five years later, we continue to see and feel the impact in how we live each day
But there are generations of people who were too young to remember or were not born yet
They won’t remember the flags
They won’t remember the silence
They won’t remember what it felt like to watch the world change in real time
But I hope they know the stories
I hope they know the names
I hope they understand why we remember
My generation, and the generations before me, will always carry the memory of that day
And I pray the generations after me will never forget
🇺🇸
