09/11/2026
September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years later, I still remember that day as if it were yesterday.
I was on a plane from Atlanta to LaGuardia on that beautiful, bluebird morning, completely unaware of what was happening. Our plane was diverted to Raleigh, where we were told to collect our luggage because there had been a national ground stop.
My phone was filled with messages from people checking on me, but no one initially explained why. Then came a message from a dear friend and client, who was in tears as she told me the Twin Towers had been struck and our country was under attack.
I remember the disbelief. The airport televisions had been turned off, and no one seemed to know what to say or do. I rented a car with a new friend I had met on the plane, and we drove to a nearby restaurant. Sitting at the bar, we watched in amazement and horror as the second tower came down. The first had already fallen.
I had been headed to New York that day, with a lunch scheduled at Seven World Trade Center—the smaller building that would also later collapse. We couldn’t get through to anyone. We had no idea who was safe, who had survived, or what would happen next. My mother, seeing the news that morning, had frantically feared the worst, as did so many people who knew I was traveling to New York.
Thankfully, I was not on one of those planes. But so many people I knew, particularly in the financial services community, were deeply impacted by the events of that day.
I will never forget September 11. I will always remember the lives lost, the families changed forever, and the extraordinary way our country came together in the aftermath—with compassion, courage, and a shared sense of humanity.
Twenty-five years later, I hope we can find our way back to more of that unity, not because of another tragedy, but because we choose it.
We remember. We honor. We will never forget. 🇺🇸🙏😇
God bless America.
