it's tuesday

And it's September 11th.

And I don't think I've "observed" that date in writing here before.  I'm not one to memorialize things like that... I don't often say much about anniversary dates of world history or even remembrance holidays such as Memorial Day and such.

It's not that I don't remember.  (How could I forget?  We will never forget.)
I don't know that anyone in this country wouldn't remember this date.  And it's not that I don't think of the tragedy and the loss and the sacrifice and the hole left not only in one of our country's greatest cities, -and in the grassy field and in the yard at the pentagon- but also the hole left in so many families, in so many hearts.  The aftermath of that day will obviously reverberate for decades and decades to come, if not forever.

But, for whatever reason, I'm just not a big "this date" observer when it comes to negative things like that.  I don't really like to point out or talk about "it's been three years on this date since so and so died" or things like that.  Again, it's not that I don't remember, and it's not that the date is not significant... I just don't tend to get all emotional about it and feel the need to call any special attention to that day.  I'd rather dwell on the good things before or the things to come because of the event.  Make sense?  That day is just a date and it has come and gone and the reality is that what we're left with is remembering the hows and whys of the tragedy (and in this case) the learning the beautifulness of the victims and heroes and the amazingness of the families, the city and this country to find the best way to move forward from that.

So I have to admit I was a bit... relieved?... not sure that's the right word...comforted? reassured? this morning as I heard reports on this day and the memorials going on around the country... I was comforted that the "official" position has been approached with more of a "it's time to move on" attitude.  I found myself in agreement with the decision that officials (the President, etc) were not speaking at the New York Ceremony.
That it's not that anyone wants to move on as in we forget, or move on as in 'oh, eleven years after now, that's enough time for healing', but rather that the ten year anniversary last year was kind of a turning point and we know that it's just how we operate now.  We know that we will never, ever forget, that we will never stop honoring that memory, and that's just part of who we are as a country now, moving forward.  That even without the hoopla and the dramatics and the televised ceremonies...  It just is.

So yes, today I remember again.  But I don't just remember today.  I remember 9/11 a lot of days.

And what I remember most is that even that day, even as I drove to work that morning, listening on the radio and not being able to even fathom what it all meant... I remember that even that day -and more and more so as the stories of victims and heroes emerged- I knew that what I must do to honor those deaths, those sacrifices, that bravery, was to remember them. To remember them and, in turn, to appreciate my own life; my own simple life, my own distance from war and terror, my own blessedly normal peaceful existence.

Which is not to say it turns into a "it's all about me" self centered remembrance, but rather puts me in a position where I am humbled and charged with the duty of doing something with this life I've been given.
And to remember to always be praying for those who are not so lucky in our world.
Whether it's 9/11 or not.