Twenty-five years.
For some, 25 years represents a lifetime. For others, it represents a significant chapter of life filled with memories, milestones and change. And for many of us, the morning of September 11, 2001, still feels like yesterday.
We remember where we were. We remember the disbelief. The anguish. The devastation. The anger. The confusion. We remember watching the news, trying to make sense of something that seemed impossible to comprehend.
As I write this, I am transported back to that morning. I remember watching in disbelief as I held my then two-year-old daughter close, tears pouring from my eyes. I didn't fully understand what the world would look like after that day, but I knew something had changed.
Twenty-five years later, the tears still come.
But so does hope.
When we remember September 11, we remember the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were taken that day. We remember their families, their friends, their colleagues and countless people whose lives were forever changed by their loss.
And we remember who they were.
They were people from more than 90 countries. They ranged in age from 2½ to 85. They represented different cultures, ethnicities, faith traditions, professions and life experiences. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses, siblings, friends and colleagues. They were firefighters, police officers, flight attendants, office workers, restaurant workers and people simply beginning another day.
There was no single story.
There was no single background.
There were simply people.
And perhaps that is one of the most important things for us to remember 25 years later.
I am reminded not only of the devastation of that day, but also of the dedication and commitment that so many people demonstrated in the days, weeks and years that followed. I am reminded of ordinary people showing extraordinary courage. I am reminded of people reaching toward one another in moments when the world felt frightened and uncertain.
September 11 is part of our history. We cannot change what happened, and we should never forget it. But history is not only about remembering what happened. It is also about remembering what we learned, what we valued, and how we chose to move forward.
At Penny Lane Centers, we believe in honoring all people.
It isn't about where you come from, what language you speak, what culture you practice or what faith you hold. What matters most is our shared humanity.
Penny Lane prides itself on being a welcoming space—a place where people are seen, valued and treated with dignity. Our work brings us into contact with people whose stories, identities and experiences may be different from our own. Yet we don't have to share the same background to recognize someone's humanity.
Because at the end of the day, we lost our people.
And at Penny Lane, we serve our people.
All of them.
Twenty-five years later, may we remember those we lost not only through the tragedy of how their lives ended, but through the fullness of who they were.
May we remember their families. Their stories. Their dreams. Their humanity.
And may we carry forward the hope that emerged alongside the grief—the understanding that even in our differences, we are connected by something fundamental and enduring.
Our humanity.
Twenty-five years later, we remember.
We honor.
We hope.
Altogether, one.
