September 11th

September 11th... 8 years later and I still fight back the tears. This year, I am finding it easier to avoid watching news coverage of those awful scenes still fresh in my mind and that's fine with me. I don't need to watch those horrific moments captured on tape to remember. But it seems impossible to keep my emotions from getting the best of me on this day. I wonder if that will ever change in my lifetime.

I think of my friends still living and working in NYC. I wonder how they are holding up. I send emails to those I know will find comfort in receicing a message from me, letting them know I am thinking of them and remembering, too.

I remember the clearest skies. I remember the smoky dust rising. I remember the panicked phone calls. I remember walking on NYC streets sprayed with water to keep the dust down. I remember the overwhelming sense of loss I felt passing groups of "missing" flyers posted by loved ones on any flat surface they could find. I remember standing in line for 7 hours on that very day waiting to donate a pint of blood, just to feel like I was doing something to help. I remember and I let the tears fall.