09/11/2026
& they climbed. ๐บ๐ธ
Stair after stair, level after level.. the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building in honor of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and every fallen hero, victim, survivor, and family whose life was forever changed that day.
I was in elementary school on 9/11.
I remember the teachers freaking out. I remember seeing adults cry who I had never seen cry before. Being in Miami, there was this fear that we could be next. Teachers were worried about their families. Parents were trying to get to their kids.
I didnโt fully understand what was happening.
I just knew something terrible had happened.
So many lives were lost that day. So many families never got their person back.
But for as horrible as that day was, what happened afterward was beautiful.
People came together.
For a little while, it didnโt matter who you were, where you came from, what you believed or who you voted for. We were neighbors. We checked on each other. We prayed together. We loved each other a little harder.
You could feel Jesus in peopleโs souls.
And every year, watching a community come together again to remember that day gets me.
People climbing in absolutely DYING heat. Firefighters climbing for brothers and sisters they never got the chance to meet. Families, friends and complete strangers showing up. People traveling from other states and even other countries just to honor lives lost 25 years ago.
And somehow, through remembering something so horrific, new friendships are made too. We even met some pretty incredible people from Edinburgh who weโre hoping to go visit soon. ๐ค
Thatโs the part I hope we never lose.
Not just remembering how America hurt that day โ but remembering how we loved each other afterward.
To the 343 firefighters who climbed those stairs knowing everyone else was trying to get downโฆ
To every first responder, victim, survivor and familyโฆ
We remember you.
We honor you.
Your legacy will live on forever. ๐บ๐ธ
Never forget. 9โข11โข2001 ๐ท Maggi Knox Moss
