September 11

Sometimes, I forget there was a time before 9/11 meant anything other than a day in September.

And in the years since the September 11 that changed our lives,  I’ll admit that today the tragedy wasn’t the first thought on my mind. I was thinking about what had to get done at work, getting things ready to celebrate a friend’s birthday, the things I needed to clean before my family arrives on Monday. I hadn’t forgotten and at several points, the knowledge that there are people in this country who are reliving the worst day of their lives brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. But as a coworker of mine wrote on as her status today:

One of the saddest things about life is that it moves on. But one of the most hopeful and best things about life is that it moves on.

It moves on, but we don’t forget. September 11 changes us all in some way and those changes will be there forever. But I hope you understand what I’m saying when I say that spring is coming, beauty breaks through, God restores.

For some thoughts on today’s date, I suggest: What I wrote on the 5-year anniversary What the Pioneer Woman had to say