Over the last week or so I have had a similar conversation with different friends. They stumble through saying something like : “so does September 11 get easier?” “well, I know it doesn’t get easier but …”
Personally I think it has gotten harder because now September 11 isn’t just about “my personal loss in the midst of a national tragedy.” Last week I had a delightful lunch with 7 fellow docents and friends – a mom who lost her son, a widow, three downtown residents, a firefighter and a Port Authority employee. I know their stories and struggles. I thought of them and others on September 11. They commented that this year was harder and they couldn’t understand why. I shared my theory that it was harder because we carry each other’s stories in our hearts.
So does September 11 get easier with the passage of time:
Yes, because I don’t worry about people’s expectations.
No, because I realize how much Bruce has missed and how much I miss him.
No, because it not just about me and my family. It is about my Tribute friends and their stories.
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”
It gets sadder as the years go by because we’ve done what we needed to do to get through the immediate crisis and now we have time to really experience the emotional reality of the events. Missed you all last week. XO. Eileen