Hayley Morris is why we should take pause today to remember and reflect on the 101 minutes that shaped the future of the United States.

Morris was five years old when her father Seth was killed at the World Trade Center.

More than 3,000 children under the age of 18 lost a parent on Sept. 11. Some were the children of firefighters, office workers in the towers; others had parents who were working in the Pentagon; others were the children of passengers on board the planes.

Imagine being a parent and trying to explain to your child why mom or dad isn’t coming home - ever. Imagine explaining something to your children that is incomprehensible to adults.

It’s because of the kids who lost parents that we should never forget, because those are the people that will remember 9/11 for the longest. Those kids will outlive us and so will their memories.

It’s not just for the kids who lost a parent on 9/11, it’s about the mothers who were pregnant, and their husbands or boyfriends who never came home. What about those kids? Do we as a society simply ignore what they have lost? They will never get to meet their fathers. Nothing is more tragic than that.

Young children holding onto pictures, clothing and keepsakes from their father to establish some sort of connection with the parent they will never meet. It’s for those kids that have to venture through life with only one parent that we should stand up, lower a flag and be thankful for how the world has changed for the better since.