B.F.

I had APFO on my mind when I opened up Facebook this morning. Those thoughts were soon swept away by a multitude of posts commemorating 9/11. I've written about it before. I don't think I have anything exceptionally new or valuable to share.

Just one thing, though. As I scanned the section for things that happened "On This Day" I realized how glad I am that that 9/11 occurred before the advent of Facebook.

Can you imagine the searing pain of accumulated posts, including photos and video, of that day?

We have become used to sharing everything on Facebook, in good times and in bad. But in my opinion it is a blessing that we don't have the vivid accumulation of pain and devastation of that day coming back at us in our "memories".

There's such a thing as too many memories. I don't think there's any lack of documentary evidence. I don't think we are in any danger of forgettting.

Life has changed in so many ways since that day in 2001. Social media is just one piece of that. And I'm grateful for the ways that people are able to use Twitter in times of local and national emergency. But today, when the pictures and feelings come swirling back, I'm glad there's a limit to the sheer volume of them coming at me before I even finish my morning coffee.