Taking Time to Remember Those Lost on September 11

Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. Each year I am reminded of how almost 3,000 people started out their day just like all of us – getting ready for work, taking a flight, making lunch plans.

All of them had hopes and dreams for the evening, weekend, the future, and none of them came home to their loved ones. Those who were personally affected will never be the same, and my heart goes out to them. It makes me more grateful for those that I have in my life, and reminds me to slow down and appreciate how precious each day with them is.

That terrible tragedy changed the way we travel and the way we see the world. Out of tragedy there is often hope though, and sometime after the events I was fortunate enough to meet the widow of one of the pilots on hijacked flight 93. Keeping Captain Jason Dahl’s memory alive, she started a scholarship fund to help aspiring flight students. Called the Jason Dahl Fund, it has been awarded so far to 50 full-time students working towards a degree majoring in Aviation. Though I never met Captain Dahl, it was said that he always offered assistance to those in the aviation field and beyond.

Assistance and kindness are things we can offer each other today and always, and I’ll be taking a moment today to remember those we have lost.

Update: Speaking of kindness, Pizza in Motion is matching donations up to $100 made today for the Captain Dahl Fund.