Email MarketingSeptember 11, 2026

A beautiful moment.

This morning at 8:46 am EST...

I'm standing in the airport security line in Salt Lake City. It's packed - far more people than usual.

Travelers are sprinting to get in line, TSA agents are barking orders, and the checkered-shirt salespeople for Clear are hootin' and hollerin' to get a sale.

Suddenly, a voice starts speaking through the intercom system:

"Ladies and gentleman, please join us in a moment of silence for the men and women who lost their live 25 years ago on September 11, 2001."

I look around at the crowd. I realize what day it is, and where I am, and what I'm doing. I'm doing what so many of those people were doing on that day.

It takes a few seconds, but eventually, the hundreds of people rushing through the security process go silent. You can hear a pin drop.

A group of soldiers marches an American flag through the main concourse. Everyone, myself included, holds their breath.

My eyes start to strain and a tear forms on the corner of my pupil. I look around again. Complete silence.

For a moment - just a brief, beautiful moment - we are all united again. That same sense of unity and resolve we all embraced 25 years ago returns.

On that day, 3,000 people - people like you and me - were going about their lives, chasing their dreams. They were supporting their families and doing their work, just like you and me.

And then, they weren't.

I'm taken back to that day. I was so young, but I still remember it. I remember waking up, walking into my parents' room, and seeing the world trade center bleeding smoke. I still remember my mom sitting there, her mouth open... speechless.

I remember the confused look on my first grade teacher's face as we all sat criss-crossed on the classroom rug.

The voice comes back on the intercom, and I'm brought back to the present moment:

"Thank you."

The airport stays quiet for a moment - a truly surreal feeling. A few TSA agents exhale, look down, and slowly return to their stations.

The line starts moving again, but it's calmer. We've all just had an emotional - even spiritual - experience together. How can you be rushed after something like that?

What a beautiful moment.