From loss comes...

The power people hold when they are driven by a force that personally affects them is unstoppable. The attacks on September 11^th, 2001 impacted everyone and the effects are still felt today. Survivors continue to fight, including the recent exclusion of cancer from the 9/11 fund. We find ourselves second guessing people in ways that we may never have thought ourselves capable. At airports, we are reminded regularly when we remove our shoes, our laptops, our liquids, that not very long ago, the unthinkable happened. So many people are scarred from the images, sounds, and thoughts of this horrible event. Yet rising from the devastation are family members, friends, and others banding together to remember and to support one another as we quickly approach ten years. Groups such as Families of September 11, Tuesday’s Children, and WTC United continue to provide support to survivors and family members. Family members of those lost on September 11^th have spread their reach to include supporting people in other countries with organizations such as Beyond the 11^th and The Peter Goodrich Memorial Fund. As a wise beyond her years young lady once told me, “when people come together they can do great things”. Truer words have never been spoken. The 10 year mark of 9/11 reminds us further that anniversaries of losses are an opportunity to remember, to reflect, and to take action.