11/09/2024
24 years. ❤️🩹
I want to honor my father today: Steven A Jacobson.
My dad was killed on 9/11, but he’s more than how he died.
He was a first generation American - born to Holocaust survivors. He was kind, loving and absolutely brilliant - learned to become a broadcast engineer at night school while simultaneously working two jobs. He had extremely dry humor. When someone would tell him to have a nice day, he would reply “don’t tell me what to do”, followed by a wink and a cheeky grin. Of course he had his faults - he was extremely strict and loved the word NO - but he loved fiercely. He fought for a better life for me and my sister, and I am so grateful for the short amount of time I knew him.
9/11 has impacted my life in so many ways beyond losing my dad. You can read the details in my Huff Post article I published a few years ago (linked in my bio). In short, the environmental impact of the towers falling poisoned both me and my mother. My mother - Deborah “Deb” Jacobson - died of lung cancer in 2013, and I luckily won the battle with my own breast cancer in 2019.
But I refuse to let my loss and suffering be in vain.
That ONE DAY was rooted in so much hate, division and xenophobia. And looking at the state of the world today, the hate and fear has gotten even worse.
The question I have been asking myself for decades now: if hate breeds more hate, can love do the opposite? I now know the answer: yes. It might sound corny AF but love is the most powerful agent of change. On days that I forget, I remember the love my parents had for me, what they did to fight for me, and let that guide what I put out into the world.
My prayer for all of us is that we can love and heal ourselves regardless of the evils we encounter. This is the most powerful form of resistance. That we can each find ways to alchemize the hate of the world into healing, joy, and love.
Thank you so much for reading my story