So, here it is!
At the 9/11 museum printed in large, bold print, a quote that read something like this:
"Hi Mom. It's me. I'm sure you heard the news. I just wanted to let you know that everything is okay. The plane hit the north tower. I am in the south tower. They said we don't have to be alarmed and everything is under control. I will call you after work. Love you. Bye"
At the same time that voicemail was left on a mother's phone, national security learned that another plane had been hijacked. Minutes later, the south tower was hit, and ultimately, was the first to crumble to the ground.
With tears filling my eyes, I listened to a voicemail from a passenger on Flight 175. A husband calling to tell his wife the horrifying news. After explaining the ultimate fate that laid in front of him, he thanked his wife for all of their great times, confessed his undying love for her, and said: "I hope you are able to accomplish everything we always dreamed of in life. I will see you when you get here. I love you."
On September 11, 2001, at fourteen years old, I - along with most of you - witnessed murder, pure hatred, evil, and war for the first time in my life. I sat in a state of confusion, fear, panic, and heartache as I watched the morning events happen right in front of my eyes.
Last month, Matt and I visited Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. There, we were able to put faces to hundreds of the thousands lives lost on that tragic day. We heard their stories. Listened to their last words. Stared at their leftover belongings.
And, by no surprise, the feelings from fourteen years ago - confusion, fear, panic, and heartache - quickly surrounded me as I stood exactly where thousands of lives were so suddenly taken.
And as weird as it may sound, I am thankful to have been reminded of the raw horror, terror, and chaos that took place on that dreadful morning. It was as though I was taken back to that exact moment.
I think, over time, as a coping mechanism, we forget the initial "shock" or "sting" of such a traumatic event. But on the anniversary of this horrific, historical day, it is essential to remember those feelings - because those are the exact feelings thousands of people felt in the last moments of their lives.
“She had a business suit on. Her hair was all askew. This woman stood there for what seemed like minutes and then she held down her skirt and just stepped off the ledge. I thought, how human, how modest, to hold down her skirt before she jumped."
On this day, fourteen years ago, 2,977 lives were lost.
How many more "last voice mails" were left on that tragic morning? And what would you even begin to say if you were put in that same position?
In honor and memory of all of the victims, families, squads, ladders, engines, rescue groups, and volunteers from 9/11 - in addition to all those who have served and protected our country - I am sending a million prayers to you today, and always.
"And as we were running down the stairs to live, they were running up the stairs to die."
#neverforget #remember911
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