I Remember...

The morning of September 11, 2001 suddenly made all of us more aware of the people we love and the importance of appreciating each other as human beings. As the death toll rose in the weeks and months after, my awareness of the individual cost became even more poignant.

It was in early 2003, however, when I walked into the 9/11 memorial exhibit at the National Museum of American History with my six-week-old son that the 2,996 deaths of that fateful day became more than a statistic, but a very real and personal realization that it was actually 2,996 people multiplied by countless friends, family members, acquaintances. Their families’ loss became unfathomable to me as I looked at my little boy and thought of the parents who had lost children, children who had lost parents, and siblings and friends who had lost a precious part of their life. I realized that the cost wasn’t just 2,996 – it was almost infinite. And there were no words.

I knew no one personally who died that day, but I do know that part of my heart is in the ruins of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and another part reaches out to those who have gone on living and remembering after a devastating personal tragedy that they neither invited nor could avoid.

That is why I feel honored to post this small tribute :

IN MEMORY OF
Harry Blanding
Blakeslee, PA

He spoke often and lovingly of his wife Debbie and his three small children, whether he was jogging through a park with a friend, attending church, working out, coaching little league, or at the office. His smile touched countless lives, and remains the most remembered symbol of his character, which was marked by happiness, goodness, interest in others, and a zest and energy for life and providing for his family whom he loved so dearly.

For Harry, as well as for the 2,995 other victims, those who love them, and those whom I love and live for, I will never forget.