Twenty year anniversary of 9/11…

No photo we could post today would be of any significance on this sorrowful day.

This morning, as I stepped outdoors to see at least eight wild animals in the garden, I was reminded of how fortunate we are. Thoughts of 9/11 flooded my mind as I sat at the table and reminisced with Tom as to where we were that day in 2001, and the moment we discovered the news, and how devastated and angst-ridden we were for many days and months to follow.

No, we didn’t lose anyone we loved in the devastation, but surely each of us in the US and many throughout the world felt the immense sorrow coupled with fear for the future. Now, as we’ve traveled, we’ve found that many in other countries have expressed the impact it had on their lives as well.

And for those who lost loved ones, co-workers, and friends, we offer our heartfelt condolences over your loss and the lingering sorrow you must still be feeling 20 years later. That type of grief never leaves us, imprinting an image we can’t erase, even as the years pass.

Glued to the TV for weeks, none of us could escape the horrific scenes, replayed over and over, each time, creating more profound wounds while escalating the fears associated with this terrible event in history. Time doesn’t heal these wounds, especially for those who lost someone they loved or even knew.

And for the first responders, many of whom have passed away from the ravages caused by their heroic involvement and support during the nightmarish event, and many with lingering and devastating health consequences, that have taken away their quality of life, as well as that of their loved ones and caregivers.

We offer condolences for the loved ones, co-workers, and friends and the children, now grown, who were never allowed to know their parent who was snatched away on this date, 20 years ago.

And now, today, we are entrenched in another disaster of epic proportions, whether you “believe” the numbers of lost soles or not, to Covid-19, an entirely different kind of devastation that has impacted millions throughout the world. These lives are no less significant and meaningful to loved ones than those lost on September 11, 2001.

When we were in lockdown for ten months in Mumbai, India, we watched in horror footage on the news of intubated Covid-19 patients lying on army cots in parking lots when all the hospitals were filled, and there was no alternative for these sick patients. This was a devastation that, in my heart and mind, impacts me very similarly to 9/11. People were lost. People loved them.

Today, it was impossible to post a few animal photos and share the infinitesimal details of our lives when we were experiencing this profound date…9/11 and the past 20 months with the loss of 4,632,374 people worldwide Covid-19. We can believe these numbers or choose not to, but the reality remains that now, few of us have not been personally impacted by the loss of life, the changed manner in which we live our lives, and the uncertainty of times to come.

Regardless of an illness, an accident, a crime, or an injustice, every lost life matters to someone who knew and loved them. Today, we bow our heads in quiet contemplation over the loss of those souls. At the same time, we all thank God, our higher power, the universe, or whatever one believes, for the gift of life, the opportunity to heal, and the realization of our purpose in this world and to one another.

May we all find peace in this “touchless’ society in which we now live and reach out to one another in our hearts.

Photo from one year ago today, September 11, 2020:

This photo was posted one year ago while in hotel lockdown for ten months in Mumbai, India, on day #172. We spotted these flowers in Kenya in 2013, known as Plumeria, also known as Frangipani, also grown in Hawaii, where we were 15 months later. For more photos, please click here.

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