Climbing to Remember

Climbing to Remember ~ by Words on Tap

My memory for faces, names and even dates is foggy at best, however, like most, I remember that fateful day as if it was yesterday. September 11, 2001 – it was my anniversary, my daughter was 4 days away from turning 1, and Peter Jennings was on the TV trying to explain what they believed just happened to the North Tower. Moments after attempting to stay calm on live television, the second plane hit the South Tower, and not long after that my brother showed up on my doorstep following a car accident. Incidentally, neither of us were alone when the news of the terrorist attacks came out, and together we helplessly watched in horror the events that unfolded that day that will forever be etched in our memory.

My story is one of thousands, and as the date approaches each year we are reminded over again to never forget. Honestly though, for those who watched the tragedy and the aftermath, lived it and were affected by it, it’s impossible to forget. However, is it possible that the emotional impact of that day has faded over time, and that is really what we need to remember?

It’s true, many of us do not want to feel the brokenness, despair and heartache of September 11 all over again, but at the same time, we so desperately want to make sure those who died, those who lost, those who ran toward the burning buildings and those who sacrificed everything did not do so in vein. So how do we do that? We go silent on social media, we lower the flags to half-staff, we thank a first responder, or we watch the clips and we remember. For me those rituals would bring to surface those feelings, but there was always something missing.

It was the unity, the grace and the heart that came after the tragedy. The moments when you reached out your hand to another without the thought of why, when political sides didn’t matter, when caring for one another was just that, and when we were proud to be American. That is what I searched for and I truly believe we all search for at this time, every year, for the past 18 years.

And, thanks to the Hometown Happening’s World Trade Center Stair Climb, for the first time since 2001, that impact, and those feelings that I felt during those moments and the days after, surfaced for more than a superficial second, and I truly remembered that day. My hope is that so did it for the hundreds that showed up at the Lake County Fairgrounds last night.

It was the first time this event took place and it was a turnout of that nobody could have predicted. Hundreds of people took to the Grandstand stairs, some completing 16-1/2 rounds, 1980 stairs representing the World Trade Center and some completing 354 steps representing the Statue of Liberty. Some ran the entire course, some walked, some carried weighted bags, and some pretty incredible first responders took part in the event in full uniform. They were simple instructions. Walk up and down the stairs with no bells and whistles, no medals and no one competing against each other. We were there to remember, and there was no doubt by the energy that filled the stands that that is exactly what was happening.

We remembered, the feeling of terror when we watched downtown New York turn to ashes, we remembered the heartache, the confusion, and the anger, but we also remembered the courage, the strength, the unity and the love. Last night I witnessed faces of determination, encouragement, sadness, hope and celebration, and there was no better way to acknowledge a time in our history that changed us forever.

In addition to the community coming together in such an incredible way, as a touching tribute we were given wristbands with a name of a first responder who sacrificed their lives to help others. I took a moment today to find out a little more about John R. Fischer and found that he was 46 at on that day, an 18 year veteran of the FDNY, posthumously promoted to captain after the World Trade Center attack, a father of 3 who was an active coach in each of their lives, a skilled chef and enjoyed running several miles a day. There are no words to express the gratitude deserved, but what I can say is that our hearts are with his family, we will never forget and thank you.

It took me 2 hours to climb those stairs in ironically humid conditions, which now seems like such a small task considering. However, during those 2 hours I reflected on many things, the biggest being that we never know what tomorrow will bring, and I remembered in a way that my steps have more meaning and my breath has more depth, that time here is precious and we cannot take it for granted.

Thank you Hometown Happenings/Tim Fealy for putting together such wonderful event, where the community was able to come together to remember, reflect, celebrate one another and stand tall together. Thank you to all who came out to be a part of and to witness what it truly means to be united, and thank you to the first responders who proved to us once again that angels really do walk among us.

May We Never Forget!