That's really the important question today. Where were you on 9/11/2001? Your story is the one you have told and will tell for as long as you live. The story you tell is that line in your life where we all went from believing one way to never believing that way again.The lame question we hear over and over again is "how has your life changed"? Unless you lost someone that day….unless you know a hero who responded to Ground Zero, that Pennsylvania field, or the Pentagon…unless you love or lost someone who decided to fight for America…your day-to-day life is largely the same. The difference is you will never trust that America is bulletproof anymore. That and you may have to keep checking your hair gel and toothpaste when you fly.
Let's do all of us a favor and avoid the finger pointing and blame game stuff. That's for another day. 9/11 should be for remembering those who died and for honoring America.
One very important thing to do today as a parent is to talk to your kids about 9/11. Maybe even more important is to listen to your kids about their feelings. They are 7 years older now and what they felt then is likely different from what they feel today.
The lingering pain of 9/11 is more than just emotions as the physical impact has hit home with the first responders...the heroes of that day. Hundreds, if not thousands of rescue and construction workers are suffering from moderate to severe lung issues directly related to breathing the dust from the WTC attacks. Many of those brave men don't have the insurance coverage to get them the medical help they need. This is the ultimate no-brainer. Theses heroes should get the treatment they need for as long as they need it with no questions asked.
As we move forward its easy to get stuck with so many unanswered questions from 9/11. Why can't we get Osama? Why did our intelligence fail so miserably? More directly, how many unsung civilian heroes died that day because they stayed behind in the Towers to make sure others got out. And as a New York firefighter said best, "...how terrible was it up there that the better option was to jump"?
As we move forward its easy to get stuck with so many unanswered questions from 9/11. Why can't we get Osama? Why did our intelligence fail so miserably? More directly, how many unsung civilian heroes died that day because they stayed behind in the Towers to make sure others got out. And as a New York firefighter said best, "...how terrible was it up there that the better option was to jump"?
It may be hard to get your head around it but there is good news on this 7th anniversary of America's worst day. It is an important part of the legacy and it is almost never discussed. The legacy is the lives that were not lost. More than 20,000 people at Ground Zero were saved by New York's finest. And since 9/11 we have not had a single attack of domestic terrorism (not including Anthrax). We have established a national consciousness that is a sort of a coast-to-coast "crime watch" neighborhood. In this new world no news is good news. The reason we haven't had anymore attacks is in no small way due to the fact that our new systems of protection are working.
Maybe on this 7th anniversary we can recapture some of that incredible unity we all felt then. That unity came first in confusion, fear, and anger. That unity came next in charity, pride, and patriotism. That's what makes America great. And when you see a cop, a soldier, a fireman…just say thanks. You don't need to explain. Just thank them for what they do.
2 comments:
I completely remember watching the Today show. I remember the kids & I writing God Bless America in bright blue chalk on the front sidewalk. I remember mowing my grass in a wave pattern, not lines (like a waving flag). I remember being concerned about Julie (my sister-in-law) and calling the only Geoff T I was able to look up in Queens to see if he was in fact the guy dating my sister-in-law and to see if she was ok. I remember making a jumper out of purple and orange plaid fabric for Ashley to wear to school - I thought at the time was great but really it was not. I remember calling their preschool to see if there would be school that day, there was.
I am shocked how many kids do not remember 9.11 nor do they know much about it. We spent the day discussing it with our 8th grade students. In social studies they watched a video about it. In our communications class we reflected and discussed what it means to be patriotic and an American. We rounded up with discussing fact vs fiction (understanding politics in the newspaper - news vs editorials).
Tomorrow is a half day. When the kids are at school we are having a "PBIS" day - Positive Behavior In School. In our part of the rotation we are writing "thank you notes" to firefighters and police officers then walking to deliver them to the fire station a couple blocks from our school. I would say that is positive.
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