I know some of you want to forget, but with today comes the marking of eight years to the day that my city was changed. And if you would care to indulge me for a few moments, i'd like to briefly reflect as the raindrops patter away outside. It reminds me of the rains on Friday, September 14th, 2001. It was the first day of rain following the 11th. It was cold. Raw. One of those fall rains that made you think it was going to be a long, hard winter.

Then I remember the days following. Warmth returned. The Indian summer they call it. It seemingly extended far into the winter from what I recall. Fueled by the fire that drove all of us to dig deeper and find the extra something in our self to push through unimaginable tragedy with remarkable strength and compassion. Compassion for fellow humans.

We rose through horror and showed the very best humanity could offer.

Every year I write these soliloquies and I don’t necessarily write them for one specific group or person, other then myself I suppose. If that sounds selfish I apologize.

8 years shouldn’t seem so far gone now, really it shouldn’t, but for some reason it is. I look back to then from now and I feel like I might as well be looking back to 1960. 8 years ago on that rainy Friday, I visited my old high school and ran into my former English teacher, who I remember, and I honestly don’t know how I remember this seeing as how my memory is picky at best, but I remember her nearly breaking down, which I had never seen from her. I had never seen real emotion from a teacher like that before. She had mentioned that another former teacher of mine’s brother had been a firefighter who hadn’t yet been heard from. Every year I see her at the tribute here on Staten Island, and she still carries this open wound with her, she hasn’t forgotten. You can tell she still remembers.

Everyone should remember. While each year I "preach" that people seem to have forgotten, I also realize that people do remember in their own way. I just hope that people remember that while it might not be as hard for them, and it’s easy to just throw it under the rug, for others, this is more then just some day. Much more. Many people here on Staten Island either lost or know someone who lost a loved one or friend. I don’t want to be “celebrating” a “Patriot Day Sale” in 15 years.

I want simple things. Common decency. It might not seem like anything at first, and I may be hoping for a miracle, but hey, it might start something good. I don’t know. I think of myself as a bit of an oddball, some say I’m a cynic, some say I’m still a dreamer, but dammit, all I want is what’s good and right. Even though the rains will dampen today, I will remember, I always will and I have the hope that anyone reading this does as well.