09/11/2026
**9/11/2001 — 25 Years Ago Today**
It was a day that, if you were alive, you know exactly where you were and exactly what you were doing.
I opened the shop that morning and soon had a waiting room full of customers. Just a normal day at the local auto repair shop. Coffee was being drank, stories were being told, and—as is still the case today—a lot of the world’s problems were being solved right there in our waiting room.
I walked in to speak with an elderly lady about the repairs needed to her vehicle when the first plane hit the tower.
Everyone stopped talking. We were fixed on the TV.
We watched the rest unfold together—not as technicians and customers, but as **Americans**.
On that day none of our differences mattered.......................
Suddenly, whatever you had planned didn’t matter. What mattered was: **Where are the people I love? Are they safe?**
If you were one of the lucky ones who made it home to your family that night, you hugged them a little longer.
I will never forget that day. And I hope **we** never forget that day—or all of the people who didn't make it home to their families that night.
If you have the opportunity, find your way to Forest Park and visit the Flags of Valor STL display on Art Hill. It will move you, I promise.
Please be safe today.
**Never forget. 🇺🇸**
