In the days following Sept. 11, everyone was telling us the best defense against such an atrocity was to get back to normal. Trouble was, nobody seemed to know what normal was anymore. Now, one week before the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, some are wondering if we’ve become a little too comfortable with "back to normal."
Like a recent widow or widower working hard to move on with their lives, many Americans are trying to figure out the best way to remember Sept. 11 and honor those who died. Is one year an appropriate mourning period? Can we laugh and play on Sept. 11 or should we be solemn and quiet?
Such decisions are obviously up to the individual. Certainly, there are plenty of opportunities throughout Snohomish County to remember Sept. 11. The city of Everett is hosting a walk on the anniversary and the county, with the support of other organizations including Naval Station Everett, is hosting a memorial later that morning. Check your local church to see if they’re offering special services.
No matter how much our country and our world have changed in just one year, some things haven’t changed at all. People are still hungry and homeless. Crime and smaller-scale tragedies still happen every day. Blood banks still need donations. Workers are still negotiating contracts. And school children still need mentors. We go about our lives and routines as we always did, except now we know it could all change in an instant.
Sept. 11 will always deserve its own moment of recognition and remembrance in our hearts and minds because of the magnitude of loss our entire nation suffered that day.
But if our country’s tragedy has taught us anything about civic duty, it is that helping our communities year-round is part of getting "back to normal."
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