Very, very well said, Jodi. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read this post. I wish more people felt the way you do.

Joni

Amen.

Sometimes I think its already getting commercialized. I was thinking the exact thing earlier today when I was watching the (awful) local news, and there was this sale at a car dealership called a "red white and blue" sale for the whole month of September.
I don't know.

You have a glorious soul, Jodi.

I remember September 11th every time I wake in the morning to the time I kiss my girls goodnight and right up until the moment my eyes close and I slip into sleep. I'll never forget that day.

Beautifully said, Jodi. Thank you!

I remember it every day. I hate the fact that people are celebrating the day. Like its a happy thing..like Independance day. In my city, they are actually planning a fireworks spectacular. I dont get it.

Today on the local news, they were flashing pictures of the towers. Granted, I guess there are those who will forget about it and move on, but I was one of the "tourists" in NY at the time it happend, and I will NEVER forget my first trip to New York, and being that my boyfriend is a firefighter, I will never forget the lives lost. I dont see why there should be one day to celebrate this. Just as in religion, no one should tell me what to believe, and no one should tell me when to remember the lives lost. Im doing the same things I did last year...making sure that the people closest to me knew how much I love them. No plans for me..sorry.

I would agree with you and stretch that out that many New Yorkers in particular remember Sept 11th every day. I am very very far from Ground zero up in Northern Alberta and I rembember it likley 5 days of every week... maybe every day, I haven't taken consious note, but I have noticed my thoughts go there. How could we forget? Sept 11th I have a chriropracters appointment, and I will do whatever else falls on my calender that day... I have no special plans - I am remembering often already.

Anita pretty much summed up what I feel. Duhbya is hell-bent on making 9/11 a national holiday, just like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, etc. But what do you think is REALLY gonna happen with it? For some people, it'll be just another day off from work, and they won't bother thinking about what the day means...except for the fact they can go out and get shitfaced the night before and not have to worry about showing up for work the next day.

And...here's where Anita's comment comes in...it'll be just another excuse to try and sell cars and who knows what else. The fact that this is starting already is proof that my fears are coming true.

So...I agree that we should remember it EVERY day. Each of us, in our own way.

Great post, Jodi!

Sadly, I think you are right about September 11th it will become just another reason for a Hallmark card. That seems to be the way we do things in the west. When a car dealership can see no wrong in having a red white and blue month then there is no reverance.
I have the same feelings about November the 11th, what is so hard about all commerce stopping for two minutes silence in memory of those lost in war? We just dont do it. I think this kind of memorial is the most profound for it becomes a personal from each of us.
Living in Ottawa I dont recall September 11th on a daily basis but like a lot of other things i remember it frequently. With all politics aside, I recall the woman that phoned home in the last moments of her life to express her love and my heart breaks. I think of the towers collapsing with all those people inside and I wonder how families deal with the fact that loved ones died so hideously. Damn! it hurts to think about it.
I will avoid all comemerative TV, I will not buy souvenir issues of newspapers or magazines and I will not listen to any politician, American or Canadian, But I will remember...how can I ever forget?

What am I doing on Sept. 11? I'm going to teach class, hold office hours, go to my own classes, eat lunch, teach more class, go home, nap, and go see Sleater-Kinney in Denver. Not once will we turn the TV on in our home, because in my opinion, watching cheesy, ratings-grabbing "tributes" is the worst possible way to honor those who died, especially when I remember them every day.

I reckon those of us who were alive on Sept. 11 will, in the years to come, will be like our grandparents, who could remember exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot. It always seemed as vivid a memory to them as if it had just happened. I think that Sept. 11 will forever be that raw wound in our hearts, but that the generations to come will just think of it as another day off school, another excuse to bbq and drink too much beer in the middle of the week. If it becomes a national holiday, that is.

Jodi

You are so right. I also remember 9/11 every day and I am 2000 miles from NYC. I lost a friend that day on one of the planes. What a terrible way to die in such a senseless death. He left a wife and two small children. Every time I see that damn footage, I see him die again, in my mind, quite literally. I am having a "no TV" day on the 11th, which strangely enough, is what Mrs. Dubya recommends! Go figure.

It was so odd to read your post, as I've had similar (but not nearly as eloquent) thoughts about all this. At my place of employment, they already are planning a "special time of remembrance to honor..." blah blah blah. The thought makes me cringe. It is nearly impossible for a day to pass without at least one thought of what happened that day, despite the fact that I live in Texas. I don't need a corporate directive to remember the lives lost or to show pride for the bravery most evident that day.

I've been at work all day (Sept 11th), listening to NPR...better I think than CBS, NBC, ABC and others, because it is not as sensationalized or glorified as they are. It is an endless bombardment of sadness. And, now, some eight hours later I am exhausted, and washed out. I've been teary eyed all day. I find myself examining my life, praising what is good, lamenting what is not...and knowing that though I, too, was touched by Sept. 11th...I am so much more lucky than some (those in the towers) and so much less than others (those on flight 93).

Thank you for sharing your feelings on this. I'm on the west coast, and cannot imagine the horror that New Yorkers must have felt that day, and every day since.

I'm going to come back to your blog... you've touched my heart today.