“Some people cannot be cured, but everyone can heal.” Author Unknown

We remembered the unimaginable terror that was unleashed on our fellow Americans 22 years ago this past 9-11-2023 and post after post stating “we will never forget” showed throughout social media. The annual, and beautiful, recognition of the victims, the heroes and those left to live on with massive, life-sized wholes in their lives occurred in NYC, in Washington, on Pennsylvania. For several hours on 9-11-2001, life stopped.

Anyone old enough to remember the attacks of 9/11 can and will tell you exactly where and what they were doing when the towers were attacked and fell, when a section of the Pentagon was destroyed and when the heroes on Flight 93 took matters into their own hands, sacrificing their lives for the greater good of the Nation. I grew up hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, the assassination of President Kennedy, Nov. 22, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, April 4, 1968. To put time in perspective, 22 years after Pearl Harbor was 1963, after JFK’s death, 1985 and after MLK’s 1990.

I remember that from horror came honor. From destruction came cohesion. From death came determination to protect and restore life. We faced our enemies but more importantly, we embraced our fellow Americans.

When the massive clouds at ground zero began to clear, I remember an America whose clarity of purpose and responsibility was never more laser focused. Caring for one another. Exhibiting patience as not seen for generations. Encouraging one another. Walking beside one another. Holding one another. Hugging each other. Understanding the value of tactile and presence. We cared for the greater good and released the petty, self indulgent selfishness that blessed lives so often become ensconced. We were a nation first and individuals second.

I remember in those days and weeks and even months later, an America who was not afraid to say and pray “In God we trust.” A Nation whose citizens refused to allow the pettiness of political views, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, skin color or opinions to divide us. I remember walking to Ground Zero one month after the attacks and the acrid smell of sulfur that permeated the air, thinking to myself, ‘this is what Hell must smell like.’ I remember standing there, viewing the holes where towers and life once stood, the only sound being the machines continuing the clean up, the 24/7 lights that illuminated where unimaginable darkness had occurred and seeing people to my left and right, all focused on what had happened, what was happening and our fellow citizens/brothers & sisters dealing with the aftermath through resolve and unity. I remember those tragically beautiful days, weeks and months. We were united.

I will never forget the smell of Ground Zero as I visited. The comparison of hell on Earth that occurred that day. Now 22 years later, I recognize that the evil of 9/11 cannot be compared to Hell because hope still reigned. Hell is the eternal absence of hope and any relationship with God. If you are breathing and reading this, hope remains. And where hope remains, anything is possible.

“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26

I wonder what the victims of 9/11 would say today, 22 years later? Would they say it was worth it for the America that is today? Or would they say, “America, we’ve been hijacked.”