We Remember

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s the 25th year marking the anniversary of 9/11/01.

We remember those on the planes who left those last voicemails and never landed at their destinations.

We remember the brave ones who fought back.

We remember those who went to the office and never came home.

We remember the heroes of all kinds who saw chaos and ran toward it.

We remember the service members who were deployed and those who served.

We remember those who immediately enlisted to serve.

We remember every spouse who lost the love of their life and raised a family alone.

We remember every child who grew up without a parent.

We remember every New Yorker who looked on in horror.

We remember those who ran through the streets to find safety.

We remember those who jumped and the ones who saw them.

We remember the weeks of hope and grief, as first responders tried to dig missing people out of the rubble.

We remember the taxi drivers who packed their cars and didn’t charge a cent for months.

We remember the ferry conductors and Port Authority who came back for people.

We remember the parents who experienced the chaos and didn’t know how they would reunite with their children.

We remember the generation who watched the attacks on live television.

We remember New York, Pennsylvania, D.C. and a grieving nation.

We remember our history and our people.

I never forget a woman that I met who told me her 9/11 story. She had her baby with her on the morning of September 11. When 9/11 was happening, she joined the many who were running up the West Side Highway on foot, running North covered in ash from the Financial District.

She said she would run and would have to stop in anguish because her baby was heavy. People noticed and helped her. She told me she never forgot the men and women, covered in soot, like angels, who would take the baby from her arms and run a leg, and then, pass the baby on to someone with fresh arms.

They were the ones who made it home. Even in the moments of anguish and darkness, we are not alone.

As we remember, we remember the victims of this horrific attack that is still so surreal and feels like yesterday. We remember that love is all that remains.

I am always in awe of the heroes. The ones who run toward the darkness. Their courage is the best of America and the best of the human spirit. May their legacies never be forgotten and may we strive for their virtue in every day we are gifted. Tomorrow isn’t promised. An ordinary morning can turn into tragedy quickly.

We remember.