nixtress's Diaryland Diary

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Sept. 11th

I'm far from the only person who's writing in remembrance of all the Sept. 11th events from five years ago. People far more eloquent than I am will be able doing exactly what I'm doing right now---not letting the world at large forget the sacrifices made that day.
I had a conversation with my sons this morning on the way to school. We talked about why it happened (a question very difficult to answer still), how it happened and who it happened to. I told my sons that it happened to all of us, even those not living in the U.S. because it stole the feeling of complacency we all had, the basic belief that in our own worlds, in our own jobs, in our own lives we were safe from the unthinkable. I told them it happened to moms and dads and kids and coworkers.
I reminded them that it was important to remember the people who not only had their lives stolen from them in the twin towers and at the Pentagon but also the individuals who GAVE their lives on the flight that grounded out in Shanksville, Pa. Those people are a different kind of hero.
I don't want them to forget the tragedies that can befall us. I want them to relish the fact, every day, that we have a life here that's blessed. I also don't want them to fear, every day, the future and what it holds. I don't want them to face the coming lives they each have and wonder when their end is coming.
A tricky line there, the one between teaching remembrance and making a child fearful of a future.
My thoughts and prayers have continued with the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in our national tragedy. I've continued the things I began after it happened---donating to our local Red Cross, donating blood, sending care packages to soldiers and helping my sons to write letters. It's piddly in the grand scheme of things but it's what I can do on an individual basis.
Today I'm still saddened by the losses we've all endured. I'm also angry.
I don't think I'm alone in that.
Don't forget why.
N.

8:24 a.m. - 2006-09-11

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