Honoring Those We Lost on September 11th Through the Power of Conversation

I watched the second plane go into the Twin Tower on a small 10inch television set in a grocery store my senior year of high school. It was already not a routine morning. Where normally I would be fast asleep in bed trying to avoid going to school, I was up early with my best friend Kiera, stocking up on balloons and flowers to surprise our girlfriend Katie for her 18th birthday.

We were just checking out when we heard people screaming. Everyone quickly huddled around the small television monitor located near the front of the store. Kiera and I stood there with our arms full of over-sized balloons and red roses, surrounded by strangers watching the graphic images that played out in front of us. We all knew that this was a game changer.

Sunday will be the ten year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. As the country, the city of New York, and the families who lost loved ones prepare to honor those who lost their lives- I was inspired to pay tribute in my own small way.

As we continue to muddle through the waters of how to deal with a tragedy on this scale, our ability to connect with each other through conversation is a driving reason we've began to heal at all, and will continue to be our saving grace.

We need to keep the momentum of these conversations alive. This weekend, for the next ten years, and beyond.

We can do this by sharing our personal stories about 9/11: where were you, how did you feel?

Ask questions of yourself and others: looking back over the last ten years how has this event changed you? How has the country changed?

Take inventory about how the conversations have shifted over this last decade: How do you relate to what others are saying? Where do you differ?

Utilizing our ability as humans to connect through the power of conversation on a personal, national and global level is an amazing way to honor those who are no longer with us.

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