09/11/2026
Twenty-five years ago tonight, thousands of people went to bed expecting an ordinary tomorrow.
They set alarms.
They made plans.
They kissed someone goodnight.
They thought about work, flights, errands, children, meetings and all the ordinary things that make up a life.
Firefighters went to bed expecting another shift.
Police officers expected another patrol.
Paramedics expected another day of answering calls.
Travelers packed their bags and planned for where they would be tomorrow.
None of them knew what September 11, 2001 would bring.
By the end of that morning, nearly 3,000 lives had been taken, countless families had been forever changed, and a day that began like any other had become one we would never forget.
Twenty-five years later, perhaps that is part of what September 11 still asks of us.
Remember those who died.
Remember those who ran toward danger.
Remember those who waited for a phone call that never came.
And remember how ordinary life is until suddenly it isn’t.
So tonight, kiss the people you love.
Stay in the hug a little longer.
Say the thing you’ve been meaning to say.
Tomorrow is never promised.
September 11, 2001
Never forget.
