This morning I hung the American flag outside our door to remember those who perished on this day fourteen years ago. Nearly three-thousand flags fly on the lawns of Pepperdine University in memory of those who perished that day. Three years ago our friends from England visited, and we walked through the flag display that honors individuals from around the globe with flags of their countries flying beside the American flags. It is an awe-inspiring spectacle that causes people to stop their vehicles, pause, and remember.
I recall how helpless I felt on 9/11, as many of us did. A few years afterwards, an opportunity arose to help preserve the lives of 9/11 victims in memorial tribute books. I volunteered to assist with the stories of Jill Maurer Campbell, a 31-year-old wife and mother who worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and Paul Gill, a 34-year-old firefighter and father of two who perished in the World Trade Center’s Marriott Hotel. Each year on 9/11, I think of these young people, wonder how their families are, and pray for them. May we always remember Jill, Paul, and the countless others who died that horrific day.
In 2008 my husband’s goddaughter married a lovely young man named Jim. During the wedding Mass, the priest mentioned that Jim had been working in the South Tower on 9/11. Jim shared his story with me a few years later. He said that after the North Tower was hit by the plane, his supervisor ordered all of her employees to leave the building. Jim and his colleagues complied, as they helped others less able down the long flights of stairs, hearing catastrophic noises from outside, while being engulfed by darkness. He was just about to exit the building when a second plane hit the North Tower. Fortunately, Jim survived. While I remember those who perished, I am so thankful that this young man lived to become such a wonderful part of our extended family.
I am no stranger to loss, and so today, I remember those who perished and their families. I am also grateful for those who survived.