09/11/2026
Many (if not all) of us are reflecting about our 9/11 experiences on the 25th anniversary.
When I think of 9/11, I think of my dad. I was in third grade, just 8 years old. I just sat down in my seat and saw him appear in the doorway. I was perplexed.
My dad rarely picked me up from school. He worked two jobs (building fences and working in government contracts). If he were to pick me up from school, surely my mom would’ve told me. Yet there he was, the first parent there.
From there I remember that we pulled over at the gas station across from the fire department on Montgomery Road in Ellicott City.
Many of you know my dad as a self-proclaimed “dinosaur” when it came to technology, but he actually had phones in our cars (before it was standardized).
I remember a man asking if he could use the phone to let his wife know he was safe. Of course my dad obliged.
As I sipped coffee from one of my dad’s old coffee mugs this morning, I couldn’t help but think of him 25 years ago. Just like he was a self-proclaimed dinosaur, he was my self-proclaimed safety net and protector. And sometimes, like today, it’s strange to think he’s not here.
Yet, somehow, he’s everywhere. 🫶🏻🕊️✨
