9/11 Memorial Ceremony: ‘Remember How Precious Life Is’

People ask Tara Bane how she lives her life since the death of her husband in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Her answer: to its fullest.

Tara Bane’s husband, Michael Andrew Bane, of Lower Makefield Township, was ripped from the world by terrorists on that late summer morning, but she wants to continue living not just for her, but for Michael Bane.

“Though I enjoy all that I’ve had a chance to experience, there’s more to it,” she said. “These experiences are partly done for Michael and in honor of Michael. I was giving the chance to live this life when Michael was not, and I want to end my life knowing that I lived it as best as possible.”

While Bane does her best to live her life to the fullest, she acknowledges the pain remains.

“Grief is a stubborn thing. It can be relentless. It can sneak up on you. It is often present even during the good times. Just peering in at you reminding you of that pain of that loss,” she said.

“And then you get to see the other side of grief. The part allows you to remember your loved one. To pull up those beautiful memories you have with them. And even though it might bring tears to your eyes, you may be able to smile.”

For Tara Bane the other families of the 18 Bucks Countians killed in the attacks, time passes but they continue to remember their fallen loved ones.

“We all need to remember our loved ones. However, I will end today with offering you all a challenge. Remember to laugh with those that you love. Be kind to those who may not be kind to you. And remember how precious life is. And that it is truly a gift,” Tara Bane said.

The family members of those who were killed in the attacks gathered Monday morning at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Township, the state’s September 11, 2001 memorial, to mark the solemn anniversary.

Bells tolled for each of the victims, marking the times the planes slammed into the World Trade Centers, an empty field in Somerset County, and the Pentagon.

As a passenger jet passed overhead, Bucks County Commissioner Chairperson Bob Harvie said he was impressed with the crowd that gathered to remember the victims.

Despite the country’s current divisions, Americans were still coming together to remember those killed in the attacks, he noted.

“They did not lose their lives because of the color of their skin. They did not lose their lives because of their gender or who they loved, or where they worked,” Harvie said. “They lost their lives because they were Americans.”

Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo said the attacks seemed more recent than 22 years ago, but Americans should never forget those lost and the sacrifices made.