Remember.

You cannot be unaware that today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

But, please, don’t just pass indifferently over that fact.

Almost exactly 3000 people died as a result of those four plane hijackings.

The quantity of the sorrow that ensued and that, no doubt, continues is beyond human reckoning.

Here’s just one way of thinking about it:  Probably at least a few of those who died in the attacks of September 11, 2001, would have passed away in the interim from other causes.  But, as part of a simple and rough estimate, I’ll assume that none would have.

So the 9-11 assaults have deprived us — within, really, just a few minutes — of roughly 45,000 human years of productivity, family relationships, service, learning, and growth.  Thus far.  We cannot begin to calculate our losses.  The books that weren’t written, the songs that weren’t sung, the buildings that weren’t built, the businesses that weren’t launched, the nurturing that wasn’t given, because those who would have written, sung, built, and nurtured them were taken from us.  The laughter, the expressions of love, the backyard barbecues that didn’t happen.  The brides who didn’t dance with their fathers, whose mothers weren’t allowed to help them dress for their weddings.  The sons whose fathers weren’t there to coach their Little League teams.  The daughters who didn’t live to be married.

Let us remember them, at least a little bit, today.

And let us remember the heroism shown by so many, as well.

If you have enough time, the 2011 special broadcast 9/11:  Rising Above, by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and with narration from Tom Brokaw, isn’t an altogether bad way to do it:

Other suggestions are welcome.

There are some things we should never forget.  This is one of them.