One of my friends posted as her Facebook update earlier: It’s been 8 years but I still couldn’t talk about the significance of today with J without crying.
I’m usually a pretty calm’ish person. I try not to overreact, but on September 11, 2001 I was 1400 miles from home. It was grueling to get home and when I did make it home – after driving for two days – I just wanted to stay put. I wanted to be near my children and my husband.
Given the historic circumstances, maybe I didn’t overreact. But I didn’t let my daughters go to Girl Scout camp that weekend. I couldn’t. All the other girls who went had a really fun time. We stayed home and probably did nothing. But after that terrible day, sometimes you just need the absence of drama to make things right.
We know that things won’t ever be the same – or “right” – again. We always look at planes a little differently. I don’t live in fear by any means, but I do look at things with more cynicism. I want to teach my children to also always be aware of their surroundings. But I don’t want to instill distrust at the same time. It’s a tightrope we walk, but it’s the reality of our lives now.
We will always remember.
Tragedies like 9/11 cannot be forgotten. But in remembering we should also seek to learn and to grow. We cannot win the global war on terror with bombs alone. We’re going to have to build bridges with people who believe and think differently than we do. That’s not to say we all have to find a common denominator and becoming the same either. Dialogue creates a space for understanding. That understanding may pave the way for an appreciation of that which makes people different.