It’s 9/11 again—time for gratitude

As I look at the date to start this article, memories of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2021 flood my mind. I’m guessing most of us can recall in full color and detail what we were doing on that beautiful, sunny, Colorado morning.

I lived in Denver at the time on the 22nd floor of a high-rise, and was driving to work on I-70 as I listened to the first confusing reports of what was happening in New York City. When I arrived at my school in Aurora, I called my three kids and told them I loved them. Inside the school’s doors, kids were sitting on the floor with their eyes glued to the few TV screens, and it was my first experience of a lockdown to protect kids. The Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999, replaced the old “Fire Alarm” practices of getting kids safely out of the building with locking them inside and behind any protective object.

As I sat with students and waited for directives, I thought life as we knew it was over, and I was right—mine anyway.

I lived on the 22nd floor of a forty-two-floor high-rise in Downtown Denver. When I arrived home, I found friends and neighbors in a panic and afraid to stay in the tall, vulnerable building. Because of their fear, I was also leery. I immediately felt a sense of empathy for what people trapped in buildings over twice as tall as mine went through to get down staircases because of inoperable elevators. What must it have felt like to know, “This is it. I’m not going to make it. I’m dying.”

I’ve taken my kids and three grandchildren to the 9-11 memorial. It’s humbling, impressive, and so respectfully done. It doesn’t only represent the despair and reality of Ground Zero, but also honors life, courage, and resiliency.

Life in America changed on that early morning as I drove to work on I-70 East listening to the radio.

Another memory is the birthday of a good friend and colleague whose birthday fell on that dark day. We joined a candlelight vigil in front of the Capitol steps that evening. When texting her as I wrote this article, she wrote, “Turning 30 on 9/11 showed me that what I once feared—growing older—was nothing compared to the real losses that day, and that simply being here is a gift.”
Her wise words brought me back to my reasons for remembering: The foundation of positive mental health is to appreciate what we have and give conscious, genuine thanks.

Let’s do that together today—Our gratitude list for this great country is long and rich.

Until the next time: Live while you live!

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.