As the dust settled after the unprecedented terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, President George W. Bush designated September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. Across the country, thousands of unfurled American flags lifted a trembling nation with waves of hope and resilience.

Bush said, “I weep and mourn with America… I wish I could comfort every single family whose lives have been affected.”

The President encouraged Americans to pause during their lunch breaks to gather in places of worship, to remember the victims and their families. As rescuers searched the wreckage for the wounded and tended to the dead, the Nation grieved in shared silence, aching hearts, and profound anger.

"Pray," said journalist Orville Kelly. "It isn’t a sign of weakness; it is your strength."

Though time passes, the memory of September 11 remains sacred. From the shadow of tragedy emerged an extraordinary grace: strangers helping strangers, hands reaching out, voices lifted together in prayer. The dust may have settled, but the human spirit did not. We rose, connected and unshaken.

Visitors from around the world now gather at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, a place of quiet remembrance and enduring love.

In every soft remembrance, in every act of kindness, we honor what was lost, and we rise. One breath, one heart, one nation, one world — bound by love that does not forget.