What is history? My definition: Anything that happened before a blink of your eye. It can’t be changed as it’s already cast in stone.

Some histories are just for one person — you stepped on a nail, and you’ll never forget. But man’s first landing on the moon in 1969 is shared history. So are Pearl Harbor, John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and 9/11. If we were alive on those dates, we know where we were when we heard the news. These events are etched in our minds.

The event last Oct. 25 that took the lives of 18 souls at Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille, is shared history. Mainers in Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, Winthrop and elsewhere are affected by what happened that night.

As the one-year observance of that tragedy rolls around, we think back to that time of fear and uncertainty. We may not recognize or even like our world now.

But hope is not lost. Thirteen people were shot and survived. Our cities, state, and the entire nation leaned in to support us. The hype has died down and people moved on, yet people still care. Some still pray for families who lost loved ones, survivors and their families, for first responders, hospital workers, funeral directors and pastors who handled funerals of the deceased. It wasn’t an easy time for anyone.

Let’s remember our shared history and honor all those affected by it in any way.

Never forget, be strong, and remember who we really are.

Marti Chabot, Auburn, Androscoggin Historical Society president