Today is my son’s and my best friend’s birthday. They laid claim to the date long before 9/11 and the demise of the twin towers. But their celebrations will forever be entwined with those of the national conscience. I make a special effort to touch base with them because of this.
I don’t deny the emotional impact on 9/11, and I was touched by the way today’s celebration was handled in much of the country. There were no political speeches, no jockeying for position, no one-upmanship. That doesn’t mean 9/11 has been forgotten; I think it means the remembrances have become more personal, more private.
In tandem with this trend, I hope those whose birthdays are on September 11 can enjoy their day, knowing thousands died but also knowing they had no control over this, that the angst our country felt eleven years ago has evolved into a certain respect without overriding emotionalism. We honor those who died, but I honor those who were born on this day – regardless of the year, either before or after 2011 – as the true legacy of survival.
Happy birthday, Kevin and Carol.
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