Each year, September 11 comes and goes. We see the posts, the hashtags, the photos of the Twin Towers, flags waving in the breeze. For many, it has become another “day” on the calendar. Something to acknowledge out of tradition, then move past as life continues. But if that is all it becomes, then we lose something vital.
So why remember?
We remember because real people – mothers, fathers, sons, daughters – did not come home that day. Nearly 3,000 lives were taken in an instant of unimaginable evil. Their names, their faces, their stories are not statistics. Remembering is to honor the sacredness of their lives and the hole their absence left in the world.
We remember because sacrifice marked that day. Firefighters, police officers, and ordinary citizens ran toward the flames when everyone else was running away. Some climbed stairwells they knew they might never come down. Others gave their last breath trying to save a stranger. Remembering is to keep alive the courage and selflessness that shone so brightly in the darkness.
We remember because the world changed. 9/11 was not just a tragedy, it was a turning point. It reminded us of how fragile life is, how vulnerable we can be, and how quickly the ordinary can turn extraordinary. Forgetting dulls our awareness. Remembering sharpens it.
We remember because memory fuels gratitude. Gratitude for freedoms we still enjoy. Gratitude for loved ones we still hold close. Gratitude for the gift of another day that others never had. When memory fades, gratitude fades with it.
And perhaps most importantly, we remember because remembering shapes who we become. If we allow 9/11 to slip into the background as “just another date,” then we risk losing the lessons it taught us about unity, resilience, sacrifice, and hope. Memory is not about clinging to pain, it’s about carrying forward the meaning.
So, this September 11, don’t just scroll and post.
Pause. Reflect. Pray. Tell your children where you were that day and why it mattered. Thank a first responder. Call someone you love. Choose to remember. Not out of ritual, but out of reverence.
Because remembering isn’t about the past alone. It’s about shaping the future we want to live in.
Joe Bouch
CEO, 78Madison