I didn’t lose anyone in the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. The building that I was working in wasn’t near any of the plane crash sites, and I wasn’t evacuated. I wasn’t making frantic phone calls, searching for loved ones, and waiting to hear their fates. Only a select few in the world had to do any of those things, and I am thinking about you all today.

I remember feeling helpless, and lost, that day. Tragedy was unfolding all around me, but there was nothing that I could do, and no one that I could help.

Today, nine years later, I still feel helpless. I can’t offer anyone much comfort, but for what it’s worth, Joan Jett’s “Don’t Surrender” has always been a source of strength for me when I need it. If it helps anyone, even a little, then maybe I can contribute something after all.