A sad day

I read this week that the New York City Fire Department has added 43 new names to its World Trade Center Memorial Wall commemorating firefighters, paramedics and civilian support staff members who have died from illnesses related to the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack.

 The new names bring the number of FDNY members who have died from post-9/11 illnesses to 331, which is nearly equal to the number of firefighters killed in the Twin Towers on the day of the attacks.

I had been thinking about the attack even before seeing the news story. When summer starts to come to an end, I find myself naturally thinking about 9/11. On top of that, we traveled last weekend to Northern Virginia and passed by the Pentagon. I could only get a quick glimpse, since I was driving, but, of course, I thought about the attack, friends I know who were directly affected, and the world at large.

Twenty two years later, I still come back to a few simple thoughts: The joy and sadness of life and death and making sure to always end each day by saying I love you to friends and family. Here’s what I wrote September 10, 2016. It still remains fresh and true.