I know I’m not alone in remembering exactly where I was on this day, September 11th, thirteen years ago. I was eighteen years old. Barely out of high school. I was trying on adulthood for the very first time. And suddenly, every bit of innocence I may have had left was shattered. Every year it continues to be really important to me to take a few moments to remember that day, remember all it meant to those of us here in the United States especially and remember all the ways that life changed after that day. I know we don’t talk a lot here about heavy topics or political matters, and in large part that’s very intentional. I like this space to be the place where we all come to celebrate, to be joyful and to find beauty in each and every day. But today, on the anniversary of the day that changed everything, especially in light of current global tensions, I just wanted to take a quick moment. To pause. To remember. To share my gratitude for the lives lost on both that day and in the many years of war that have followed. To express my appreciation that I’m privileged to live in a world where we can meet here every day in this pretty, happy internet place. To remind myself to love more, hug tighter and to begrudge less. This life we live is precious. This world we live in is complicated. But if we all strive to love and respect one another, if we seek to teach the next generation love and tolerance, I hope we’ll see in our lifetime an era where the world sleeps at night under the umbrella of peace. In the meantime, today I am remembering, and sending my love to each and every one of you.
To all of our fallen heroes and those still fighting for us today, thank you. To everyone lost on that day, to everyone who still feels that loss, my heart is with you.
[Lettering by Carla Paola Torres.]