Let Good Triumph Over Evil (Remembering September 11, 2001)

It’s hard to believe 12 years have passed since the attacks on our country the morning of September 11, 2001.

Like most everyone else, I remember where I was that morning. I was in Springfield, Illinois. It was my day off (I was working an odd schedule as a young television news reporter) and I was sleeping in that day, as was customary for a 24-year-old with nowhere to be and with no obligations on a morning like that.

One of my roommates woke me up and said I needed to come take a look at the TV. That’s when the second plane hit the second tower. That’s when I realized it was no ordinary day.

Within minutes, my pager started buzzing. As you might imagine, it was all hands on deck at the news station. Off to work I went.

I don’t remember exactly what my story angle was that day but I do remember the eerie feeling of walking past the federal building downtown and seeing the heavy police presence there.

I remember briefly wondering if that building was going to be blown up or attacked in some fashion and I vividly recall the sense of fear I had at that moment. The bad guys had briefly won in that regard, but as things returned to ‘normal’ in the weeks, months, and years to follow, time would show that they really hadn’t.

We are a resilient bunch, we Americans, and human beings in general. The scars that attack left are still there and for the people more directly involved in the attacks, I am quite certain not a day goes by that they don’t miss their loved ones or feel a level of pain that I cannot understand.

But I also know that as a whole, we have all continued to live our lives and the 9/11 attacks have not stopped us from being free.

Sadly it’s something we continue to take for granted and I’ll be the first to admit I’m guilty of doing so. But every time I stop to think about it, like today for example, I realize just how thankful I am that we live in a place where we are free to think, act, worship, love, and live as we desire. America isn’t a perfect place but it is a pretty great place.

To everyone out there who lost someone that day 12 years ago or as a result of the events of that day, I’m sending you good thoughts. To everyone else, let’s all be vessels of peace and love today. Let good triumph over evil.