To commemorate the lives of those lost on 9/11/2001.

A poem by a Patch grocery team member.

To one and all, to everyone in their respective places. Twenty-one year’s ago today on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. It seemed like a pretty clear day in the U.S.A, until the ugly fateful news started to travel across the air waves, news of hijackers, suicide attackers, attacking four airplanes on American soil. The Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York. Flight 11 hitting the North Tower and Flight 175 hitting the South Tower. Flight 93 going down in Pennsylvania and Flight 77 deliberately crashing into the west side of the Pentagon all within minutes of each other, resulting in thousands of lives lost. Being appalled is an understatement of this evil and horrendous devastation that saddened all of us and I know the effects can still be felt today.

To the families of the victims, I would ask that as you hold onto treasured memories in your sorrow, that you also hold onto hope for a better tomorrow. In remembrance of 9/11 we can bring communities together by setting our sights on becoming a better country, city, town and neighborhood that works for the common good; for those victims have family members and fellow citizens that remain here in America, the U.S. which spells us, which means we have a patriotic duty and a social responsibility to make things better with a moral compass that I pray is guided by a spiritual one; then and only then can we be and see something grateful out of something so fateful and gain things such as courage, strength and power from the tragedies of something Flight 93, 77 and those of the Twin Towers, to make productive changes like making National Security even more secure and our differences more obscure. Unified, yet diversified promotes progress for sure. Tuesday, September 11, 2001 is one that will live on, for it shall never be forgotten.

Thank you,

~ Elaine Gaines