Last night, my husband and I were sitting with my eighth-grade daughter, having a conversation about free speech, when I mentioned, ‘Don’t forget, tomorrow is September 11.’ My precious, almost 14-year-old, looked at me with surprise and said, ‘Why would you remind us of such a sad day?’

I told her the motto of 9/11 is literally “Never Forget.” I told her it is understandable why she would feel that way, since she was not alive when it happened and didn’t have a personal experience with the events of that day. However, it raised a profoundly important question for me.

Why should we Never Forget? What exactly is it that we should not forget? Why is this important?

I am not a historian. I am not a scholar. I am not a political influencer. I am simply an old homeschool mom who once worked in television news and in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate (2000-2008). I was 24 years old when I ran for my life, away from the Longworth House Office Building on Independence Avenue, as sonic booms from fighter jets soared overhead and people ran, not knowing if the sky was literally falling. If you didn’t live on Capitol Hill, you really had nowhere to go unless you knew someone who lived there, because you couldn’t get to your car, you couldn’t drive out of the city, and you couldn’t cross the Potomac. You couldn’t take a metro. Everything came to a screeching halt that day.

When people ask me what I remember about that day, I often recall how deathly silent it was around 11:00 AM. From my efficiency apartment, the tallest building on Capitol Hill, which wasn’t even that tall, I stood on the roof deck and watched the Pentagon burn with billowing smoke. Yet, all I could hear around me was the chirping of birds on an otherwise gorgeous, sunny, blue sky day. Living on Capitol Hill, my husband and I used to joke about being lulled to sleep at night with the soothing sounds of Metro buses and emergency vehicle sirens, so it was very unusual for it to be totally, almost deathly, silent. 

But back to the original question at hand. What is it exactly that we are supposed to “Never Forget?”

I immediately think of the heroes of Flight 93, who I believe personally saved my life that day. Four men led the charge to take down those terrorists, but every person on that plane was a hero. They might not have been the leading actors, but they played a supporting role, each laying down their lives for freedom.

I think of President George W. Bush, fresh into his presidency, thrust into leading in a way no president has had to since George Washington and FDR. He led us with dignity, humility, and grace as he navigated an unprecedented attack on American soil. In those days, politics were put on the back burner, and our leaders prioritized unity on both sides of the aisle. Even if we disagreed, we worked together to find a way forward. 

There is more I could say about why and what we shouldn’t forget on September 11, 2001, but I will end with this.

My former boss, U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, always used to say that America is the bravest and freest country in the world. But today I find myself wondering, are we still? Are we still brave? Are we still free? What is it that the revolutionaries fought for us to have today? I am certain it is not what I see when I read the news or when I open up Facebook.

There are many posts today about how we need to do better. There are many more posts today, full of fallacies and hollow positioning that even my three middle schoolers can easily spot with their basic training in logic studies. (Side note: let’s bring the logic studies back into education. It shouldn’t just be something classical educators prioritize!)

So what is it that we should Never Forget? Is it that our enemies attacked us on our own soil? Is it because people died? Is it because some people gave their lives willingly to save others? Is it because, for a flickering moment, the United States of America was unified?

I say yes to all of this, and more. I think that each and every person who was alive that day will have their own unique and individual answer. Think about it and share it with someone who was not alive that day. Try to help them understand what it was like, how you felt, and how you were different because of it. Not just how our country was different (ahem, TSA) but how you personally were different because of it. 

Maybe you weren’t. Maybe you were too young, or maybe you just haven’t thought about it in a while. Perhaps you had other life circumstances that prevented you from being truly impacted by the events of that day. But I think that all of us, if we think long and hard over it, can find our own unique answer to the question of why we should Never Forget.

And when we have our answer, we should talk about it. And we should find someone who disagrees with us and listen to them with humility, dignity, and respect — especially for those who disagree with us. We should seek to understand before seeking to be understood. We should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. We should love as God has loved us, and we should forgive as Jesus Christ has forgiven us. Because from my perspective, that is exactly what we did in the day following 9/11. Perhaps we should take a page from that book, given the shocking timing of tragedy in our current day, against the backdrop of that horrific event, and consider how we can, as the Bible teaches in Hebrews Ch. 10, stir one another up to love and good deeds.

For me, this is why we must never forget: because forgetting means losing the courage, unity, and love that defined us in those days. And if we lose that, we lose more than we did on September 11. 

Before sharing this today, I opened my “Write the Word” scripture journal. The verse seemed particularly relevant today so I am sharing it here:  

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:18 

Total Side Note: 

One of my favorite bands, U2, released a song the year before 9/11 titled “Walk On.” In the days following the attacks, it became an anthem of courage and resilience, and it remains a personal favorite of mine. I’m sharing the lyrics below because I believe they still speak to us today. As we reflect on how far we’ve come — and the challenges we face — may these words remind us that there is always hope, always strength to keep going, and always light worth walking toward.

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got they can’t steal it
No they can’t even feel it
Walk on, walk on…
Stay safe tonight

You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you’ve got they can’t deny it
Can’t sell it, can’t buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on