LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The mother of a young man who lost his life when the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001 reflected this weekend on the 21st anniversary of the attack. But she said time doesn't lighten the load of her grief.
No matter how many years pass, Judi Reiss told KYW Newsradio the pain of losing her son Joshua Scott Reiss never goes away. "I cannot believe it's 21 years," she said. "Every year is kind of the same for me."
Even while preparing for the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Garden of Reflection in Bucks County, Reiss said it's still hard to grasp so much time has passed.
"It's like we've all aged but Josh is still 23," said Reiss. "Even his youngest sibling has passed him in age."
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This year, though, it isn't a round number or milestone year. "In some ways, it's easier not being a quote-unquote 'big anniversary.' My family gets to feel like they have a little more privacy," she said.
36 Pennsylvanians were killed on 9/11. 18 were from Bucks County — and 10 of them were from Lower Makefield Township. Reiss said she has found support in her community, but she still grieves.
"I've known that everyone goes through grief differently. I don't like this idea that there are stages because people think then you're going to move on, you know, one step at a time," she said. "You don't. Sometimes it's three steps forward and four steps back."
Reiss said she often thinks about what could have been, had Josh not been in his office that day. "Josh would have been 44 years old, he would have had a family like his brothers and sister."
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In time, she's been able to speak more candidly of her family's loss — and she patiently hopes for closure with a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the 9/11 survivors.
"But I believe in the justice system and I believe that's how civilized people behave," she said, "so I wait... and I guess I'll keep waiting until judges make up their minds and whatever will be, will be."
And while Reiss said she feels the support of her not only family and community, but even the country, she admitted, "I miss him. I truly, truly miss him every day."
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