Seven years ago. It was a non-teaching day for me at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. The cab driver who dropped me off at school from a breakfast meeting was from Kabul. He had NPR running, and we caught versions of the events on the 9 am news. Little did he or I know the dramatic change that would come upon the America we knew.

I remember the horror–the darn lump in my throat wouldn’t go away–as I watched the chaos unfold on TV. I had worked on Wall Street a few years ago, and knew the WTC quite well.

All we can do today, is to take a moment to reflect on the precious and innocent lives that were lost in the thousands that day. May they be blessed in every way.