I woke up this morning and scrolled through my Instagram and perhaps it was just the early hour, but I felt like there were fewer tribute pictures and posts than last year…and the year before. I don’t think this signifies that people are forgetting. WE. WILL. NEVER. FORGET. I do think that as jarring as the images and memories still are, what’s happened has just become a part of us (as a nation) and sometimes we choose to simply remember in silence.

In honor those people whom we love and lost thirteen years ago, I’ve shared some quotes and images below.

“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.” – David Levithan

“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” — President Obama

“Remember the hours after Sept. 11 when we came together as one…It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us.” – Then-Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts.

“Sept. 11, 2001 seems destined to be the watershed event of our lives and the greatest test for our democracy in our lifetimes.” – Lt. Col. Shelton F. Leskford, U.S. Marine Corps.

“Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost.” – New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at a memorial service

The title of this post comes from a poem by Billy Collins titled “The Names”.