No Life Untouched
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Despite the absolute horror of that day: thousands of lives, gone. Towering symbols of American strength, dissolved to dust. A country seemingly undone. And still we persist.Despite the anxieties of 365 days since.
Through airline scares and anthrax spores, job cuts and stock drops. A total loss of our sense of national security.
Yet we fall in love. We chase dreams. We find precious time. We do our jobs. We make babies. We trust again.
Despite everything – because of everything – we gave birth to new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. We gave birth to a different kind of country. The moment shook and transformed us, opening our eyes to life’s brevity and fragility. A sea-blue Tuesday morning sky turned black, and just like that, we changed.
Change came to our community in doses large and small: the toddler who now demands “family hugs.” The window washer who prays. The spouse who finally divorces. The man and woman who conceive – to “fix things” in the world, to “give life back.”
At the intersection of ground zero and our hearts, each member of the American family reacted differently – some with suspicion and fear, some with courage and hope. No one truly escaped, not even the living, not even a thousand miles away.
Sept. 11 altered all of us, leaving no life untouched.
