September 11, 2001
I wrote this short piece on 9/10/2021, a day before the twentieth anniversary of an event that, as a nation, affected us so deeply, it can never be forgotten. The scar runs deep into the fiber of our very being. We will not forget, because we cannot forget. Be gentle with yourself, and everyone around you. Peace.
We all remember, respect, and honor differently. No one has forgotten 9/11. No one. If someone’s feed isn’t filled with images of the Twin Towers, the American flag, planes crashing into buildings, people covered in dust and debris, the twisted metal and rubble that remained at ground zero, the man jumping from the tower because he chose falling to his death rather than being burned alive, people holding each other, people waving American flags, people crying, people so distraught that all they could do is sit and hold their head in their hands while they waited to learn if by some miracle their loved one survived, it doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten. It doesn’t mean they don’t care. It doesn’t mean they don’t still ache inside and hear and feel the terrible silent scream that rose within them that day 20 years ago.
It only means they remember, honor, and mourn differently than you. For some the images are still so strong, the pain, confusion, anger, and feelings of helplessness so readily accessible, even after all these years, that adding one more image to the mix is just a step more than they can bear. None of us have forgotten. Not one. It has become a part of our American identity. It is held within our very beings, we can no more forget than we could separate our blood from our body and continue to breathe.
So tomorrow, when you see a [social media] newsfeed absent of patriotic images, or a friend doesn’t mention 9/11, or someone gets a vacant look in their eye and turns off the television that is replaying the images from our American tragedy, don’t judge. They have not forgotten. 
Peace Horse Journey 