Life Beyond My Father Ira’s 9/11 Eulogy

I cannot believe it’s been 20 years since September 11, 2001, that nightmare of a morning when I lost my father, Ira. So much has happened over these past two decades, but as this summer progressed I realized that I’ve had a difficult tug of war leading up to this week. It’s been 20 years. Isn’t that supposed to mean I have to do something or feel something or say something? While I am not a part of any 9/11 groups or communities, I would imagine that a lot of people who have experienced a great loss such as this may be feeling the same way. There are some days I wish I lost my father in a more ordinary, less public way. On 9/11, the whole world pays attention. People come out of the woodwork to pay their condolences to my father and talk about all of the innocent lives that were lost. It’s a day the world mourns, but also a day when I have come to question whether it’s really been possible for me to properly mourn.