This weekend is a solemn one in many ways, for our country and for our community of Simi Valley. Eight years ago we awoke on the West Coast to news that was hard to comprehend at first. I remember being out running very early, with my husband, who liked to listen to the radio. For some reason, we ran different routes, and our paths crossed a couple of times. The first time he told me that a small plane had apparently hit the World Trade Center. This struck me as very odd; how could a small plane be unable to avoid the World Trade Center? Then a few minutes later, we crossed again, and he told me that a second plane had hit the towers. That’s when we knew that something terrible had happened, and we headed for home. We tried to keep the news off, so that we wouldn’t send our sons to school upset. How naive! We didn’t realize the scope of what had happened.
One year ago, I was home on a Friday afternoon. My father, who keeps the news on all day, called me to say that there had been a terrible train wreck, and that many people were injured. I turned on the TV, and soon came to realize that almost everyone on that train was likely to be from Simi Valley or Moorpark. We didn’t have any close friends or family on the train, but we certainly knew many people who were severely affected, and who still are. That day, and the days thereafter, I felt so sad for my community and for the families. I identified most with the parents and family members looking for their children who were students, since our son rode the Amtrak to and from San Diego frequently.
In the days and months after both of these tragedies, I came to realize that what is best about people comes out during sad times like these. Do you remember how our country pulled together after the attacks? Do you remember how, just for awhile, we were all Americans who were grieving our loss and trying to understand what had happened? Do you remember the sense of gratitude and even pride in the bravery and sacrifice of the first responders and others who gave so much to try to save as many as they could?
It was the same in our small towns around Simi Valley and Moorpark. We prayed for the victims, survivors and their families. We watched the fire fighters work so hard to help those who were hurt, and to return those who didn’t survive to their families. We watched the scores of police officers line up to pay their respects to one of their own who didn’t survive. And later we heard the stories of how many people, both train passengers and residents nearby to the crash, who helped each other and tried to provide comfort.
It is in the nature of countries and communities to have arguments and disagreements over things great and small. We may not agree on issues of barking dogs and water restrictions, or on policies about war, taxes and health care. I hope that anniversaries like this remind us, however, how precious life is, and how lucky we are to live in our country and communities, where strangers risk their lives to help, and where ordinary people do what they can to make a difference. Issues come and issues go, but in the end, what matters is how we treat each other. Let us remember how fleeting life is, and give a hug to our loved ones, and a smile to the people that we meet. It matters more than we may know.
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