This past Sunday, I attended a 9/11 memorial event at Cedarhurst Park. Speakers ranged from congressmen, to clergymen, all of whom spoke of the tragic event of ten years past, as well as the amazingly heroic nature of those who sacrificed their own lives to save others. Toward the middle of the ceremony, a local girls a cappella group sang “Wind Beneath My Wings.” As they sang, I could almost picture the firefighters who ran into the blazing inferno to save complete strangers, and the families of those firefighters who never got a chance to tell them how proud they were. I couldn’t help but sing quietly along with them.

Later on in the memorial, the orchestra started playing a series of songs chosen for the occasion. In contrast to the somber, inspiring nature of the speeches and ceremonies, the music played was strangely upbeat. Along with the expected “God Bless America” and “Fanfare of the Common Man,” they played songs like “Rock Around the Clock”, “The Syncopated Clock”, and “New York, New York.” At first, I was a bit disturbed, but after thinking about the selection, I realized that there was more to this memorial than remembering what happened. It was a statement to the continuation and survival of the American spirit. In a sense, we were saying that almost despite the events of 9/11, we still live.

We will, and must, always remember what happened. But events like these remind me that part of remembering is looking forward to a better future.