09/11/2026
🇺🇸 I don’t have a special 9/11 story. I was a college student in Nashville, and like so many people, I just remember where I was and what happened next.
I remember a friend calling me while I was getting dressed for class and telling me to turn on the news. A few minutes after I started watching, I saw the second plane hit. I remember that sinking feeling when I realized this wasn’t a terrible accident. Something was very, very wrong.
I remember standing in line for six hours to give blood because it felt like one small thing I could do.
I remember the concert and prayer vigil at Centennial Park the next night. So many artists from different genres came together. Because what else do you do in Nashville when you don’t know what else to do? You pray and you sing.
I remember walking through the Nashville airport a few days later to see if anyone who was stranded needed a place to stay. Churches around town were asking people to open their homes because so many travelers had nowhere to go.
None of those things are extraordinary on their own. But when I think about 9/11, beyond the fear, sadness and devastation, I remember the togetherness.
People stood in line for hours to help strangers. They opened their homes. They prayed together. They sang together. They looked for ways to help simply because someone else needed it.
For a little while, we weren’t strangers. We were just Americans taking care of each other.
Twenty-five years later, that’s one part of September 11th I hope we never forget.
We remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the heroes who ran toward the danger.
And I hope we also remember how we came together. 🇺🇸 We really could use more of that togetherness.
