PARSIPPANY - The skies were overcast Friday morning; a stark contrast to the clear skies of 25 years ago.

The absence of sun fit the mood - somber and reflective.

"Twenty five years ago we remember and we will never forget," said the Rev. Mary Anne “Psomi”  Psomas-Jacloski in her invocation. She is the pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

Pulkit Desai, the township's mayor, spoke about lives lost.

"We do not get to decide how long someone will be part of our lives. But we get to decide how long their stories remain as part of our lives," the mayor said.

Seven township residents perished on Sept.11, 2001, and their names were read.

Taps were played.

Both the National Anthem and God Bless America were sung.

The ceremony outside township hall began at 8:40 a.m. The timing allowed for moments of silence at 8:46 and 9:03, the times the two planes crashed into the World Trade Center.

There was nothing all that unique about what transpired early Friday before about 100 people.

But that's also the point.

A quarter century after the terrorist attacks, commemorative ceremonies are being held today throughout the state and needless to say, the country.

One theme raised in Parsippany was how the nation seemed to "come together" in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

That was true

Left unsaid was how divided the nation seems today - both politically and perhaps even socially.

Sadly,  even the most moving ceremony is unlikely to change that.