On Loss and Hope

Every year on this day, we take time to remember — to reflect on what it was like to live through September 11, 2001. There was, of course, the initial disbelief and uncertainty. Then came the horror and fear. Followed by the overwhelming sadness for those lost and their families.

But what I remember most is what came in the hours and days after the attacks: America coming together as one nation. We put aside small differences and found what connected us — a love of country and our neighbors.

In the wake of tragedy, we found unity.

I felt that same feeling again recently at my friend John McCain’s funeral.

John and I didn’t agree on everything, but I never doubted that he was fighting to make our country better. And he gave me that same courtesy.

The mood at the service was appropriately patriotic and forward-focused. It was a needed change from the increasingly bitter public discourse that’s taken over in Washington.

I keep hearing folks try to break us apart into red states and blue states, urban and rural, and a million other false choices that drive us further apart. And on this day, more than most, I reject that way of thinking.

Today, I’m thinking about the firefighters and first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to save as many lives as they could. I’m thinking about the men and women of United Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to preserve others. I’m thinking about the servicemembers who gave their lives for our freedoms. And I’m thinking about my friend John McCain who even as a POW put country before self.

All around us are examples of everyday and once-in-a-lifetime heroism done for America and our fellow Americans.

On September 11, I take time to remember — remember that there’s more that connects us than divides us.

— Tammy