It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the tragic events of 9/11. For many of us, the terrorist attack and its aftermath is among the defining events of our lives.
On 9/11/01, my husband was returning to the U.S. after a short business trip in Uruguay. His domestic passenger flight took off from the Newark airport that morning, headed to San Francisco, where we lived at the time. He had the good fortune to be booked on a Continental Airlines flight, and not on United Airlines flight 93; these two flights left Newark within a few minutes of each other, headed for the same destination, with very different outcomes.
United 93 was hijacked. Passengers fought back, and the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania with no survivors.
After the Twin Towers were hit, and with a nationwide emergency FAA flight ban, my husband’s Continental flight was grounded while en route, landing at an airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With all the rental cars sold out, he took a taxi 180 miles to Chicago and then a Greyhound bus another 300 miles to St. Louis, where he stayed with his parents for 10 days until he could make his way back to San Francisco to rejoin me (then 8 months pregnant) and our toddler.
Of course, our story is far less harrowing than the ones of families who experienced this day—and the long aftermath of loss—in proximity to Ground Zero; in Shanksville; and at the Pentagon. We had a few hours of uncertainty. There is no comparison.
Yet even at a safe distance, there was an extended period of disruption, and worry. To help my young son cope, I used Mr. Roger’s mantra: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance—described as the largest annual day of charitable engagement in the United States—grows out of a similar sentiment. At a time of distress when things seem their bleakest, there are people helping others. One of the organization’s primary initiatives is food access, and on 9/11/26, about 50,000 volunteers in 50+ cities will be packing 18 million meals for families facing hunger.
At the 9/11 Day website, you can pledge to do your own act of kindness in the lead-up to September 11th, like handwriting a thank you note, making someone laugh, donating used blankets or picking up litter. The organization is aiming for 1,000,000 good deeds, and they are mapping these commitments to show the breadth of service to others.
How might you be a helper?
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