There is a line from the movie Renascence Man that sticks with me. When Danny DiVito's character says he carried a sign with the name of a Vietnam Vet during a march, the officer asks him, "And what was the name of that solider?" Danny DiVito's character couldn't answer.
After the attacks on our country in 2001 my husband bought me a bracelet with the name of a victim. I went in search of this person, because I was not going to be like the character in that movie. I wanted to know the person was whose name I wore.
Joseph Mistrulli lost his life that day when terrorists attacked the USA. He was a carpenter who was working a job in the Windows of the World restaurant. He left a wife and three children.
I wore that bracelet and so did my son (who was only 3 at the time of the attacks, but when he grew older he too wore the bracelet) until the metal gave away and broke. But the memory never did.
Joseph Mistrulli was only one of 2,995 people who lost their lives that day. Each and every one of those souls had a story. Thousands more live without loved ones, and you can guarantee they will never forget.
We all know where we were that day. Perhaps we weren't effected more than the media on TV, but it effected us all in some way. Some part of our daily lives was changed that day.
That was the day that I sent my almost 2 year old son to his first day of a preschool program. I nearly sat in the parking lot for the entire 2 hours he was gone from me. I spent the rest of the day locked in my room and watched as all the events unfolded. I kept it as far away from my children, but as the have grown they have learned about that day.
No matter you opinion on 9/11 please don't forget those who were lost that day and those who have been lost fighting for our freedom and to keep our country safe. Thank a solider, a police officer, a firefighter. Hug your family and tell them you love them. 9/11 is now a day of remembrance. But daily, I will never forget.
Please share with us your memories of 9/11. But before you share... go find a name of someone who lost their life that day, find out who they were.
Bernadette Marie
