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Health & Fitness

A Small Town with a Big Heart: Remembering 9/11

As I sit at my kitchen table and type this note, I realize that that this is exactly where I sat 12 years ago today, watching my morning shows while getting ready for the day.

Living in a suburb of NYC - we are literally a 45 minute boat ride away from the city. Many of my friends, colleagues and family members took the boat that day - still do.

What I remember most about watching the horrific sight unfold on TV was my disbelief - just like the beautiful cloudless day we have today, that was the weather 12 years ago. 

With absolutely no point of reference (have you ever noticed that when something happens that has never happened to you before, you have a hard time digesting it?) That is having no point of reference) my first thought was of my loved ones NYC - disbelief - and the the unshakeable ground to which we are standing. 

Terrorism on our soil? 

Were we going to be next? 

I had no idea what to do. So, I went to get my kids out of school. I made phone calls. I wanted to find out where everyone was, who was safe, who hadn't been heard from yet, all the while protecting my family. What was happening? I had no idea.

I remember feeling helpless. 

I simply drove by the homes where my friends lived who had spouses who worked in NYC. I knew that if a lot of cars were parked in the driveway or in the street in front, that was not a good sign.

I called my neighbors, my best friends, my family, my then husband and wanted them all around me. I made plans to comfort those who needed it and made sure my kids kept busy not watching the terror unfold on the tv. 

I needed them and they needed me.

It's like it was yesterday. Going to the food store and hearing sobs down the aisles. And the phrase, "Are you and your family okay?" become the norm and what you said when seeing a friend or a neighbor instead of a friendly hello.

Six funerals later, I will never forget 9/11, nor the friends we have lost, the families they left behind or the feelings it has left behind on all of our hearts. 

And I will never forget what this small town did to respond this tragedy.

I will never forget attending a funeral for a woman's husband - both of whom I had never met. It was my best friends' neighbor who lost her husband while she was pregnant. Her neighbor was from another country and did not know many people, so my friend reached out to her friends, to help her neighbor. 

It was something I will never forget - attending a funeral for someone I did not know and then later a baby shower for a woman who had just lost her husband in one of the worst attacks in history. Her strength and courage was a characteristic that left an imprint on my heart. And what my friend did to help her is something I will never forget.

We lost two friends from our high school who were from such wonderful families - staples in our tiny community and were vivacious, young, charismatic, and people. Their legacy has left such a profound impact on so many, that it continues to warm my heart as I see pictures on Facebook of friends remembering fond memories from football, the beach, high school and beyond. 

The bravery I have seen by watching friends carrying on legacies to honor these loved ones is something I will never forget. 

I watched a small town who took some major punches turn it around. I watched people rally together - hold each other's hand, comfort each other's children and wrap their arms around each other. 

This is something I will never forget. 

Never.

We lost some amazing people that day - some of whom I met - some of whom I wish I had, as many of you recall stories of the 2,996 lives that were lost. 

They were our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friends and neighbors. 

My hope is that we never forget. 

My hope is that we take those memories, share our experiences, learn from those heroes who put their lives on the line that day to save a fellow American.

My hope is that we stop complaining about the daily grind of our lives and be thankful for having a safe place to live them. 

My hope is that we hug our kids a little closer, love and respect our community and remember all the good that people do on a daily basis instead of focusing one what we don't have or what people aren't doing. 

My hope is that we value our lives a bit more, respect each other a bit more and notice what we have a bit more.

For those of you who have lost loved ones in 9/11 - my heart still aches for you. And to the heroes of 9/11 near and far - we continue to salute you, your bravery and your willingness to put your life on the line for a stranger.

In reality, we are no longer strangers. Now let's live our lives that way. 

Spend the day today living in remembrance and gratitude.

We will never forget.

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