Remembering

10 years ago, we were not married. We were both still in college. Neither of these cute kids were born:

I had never even been to New York City! I was in my basement apartment getting ready for class when my now husband called to say, “I think you’d better come up here.” I didn’t have TV at the time, but his apartment did. We watched the second tower fall right there in his living room.

We talked a lot with our kids over the past two days about why there was a flag in our yard today, and what happened 10 years ago. They’ve heard about 9/11 before and we even had a book from the library once that talked about the twin towers. 10 years is a long time, though. There are plenty of kids around who weren’t born, or simply weren’t even old enough to understand what was going on. It seems weird to me that my kids won’t be able to remember 9/11, because it has changed so much more than just airport security measures. The way our country reverences the flag, our support of our military, our politics, our feelings of safety, security and national invincibility.

There’s nothing like a catastrophe to unite a nation and a generation and I think that’s what 9/11 did for my generation. It forced us to grow up and realize that the world can be a scary place. It made us think about hard things, and sometimes do even harder things. Young men and women willingly stood up to defend our country, some giving their lives so that, hopefully, none of us ever have to experience another attack like 9/11, especially not our children. It reminded us that freedom is not free.

I’ve heard a few people comment in person and on the news that they didn’t want to hear about the tragedy of 9/11 anymore. Some sought for closure, others said it was just too gruesome to dwell on it. Well, I’m here to say, I want to remember! I don’t ever want to forget that we live in a country that values freedom, a country that fights to keep us free. I want to remember that on that day, and in the following weeks there were men and women—normal, everyday people—who acted heroically without being asked. I want to remember that 3000 people died unnecessarily and that their families and friends still miss them. I want to remember that after the attacks, there were flags everywhere; that we were all Americans together. I want to remember so I can teach my children to love instead of hate and to be proud that they are American.

Today we watched this and listened to this (the last portion of the 2nd hour has an amazing Requiem commissioned by the Trinity Wall Street Church just diagonal from ground zero. Chris and I visited there in 2006 when we went to New York and were very touched by the memorials to the firefighters and public servants who used the church as a kindof headquarters). Our kids asked lost of questions and we answered them as honestly as we could. They will never be able to remember the feelings and events of that day, but I want them to know that I remember, and I reverence the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in service and those whose lives were taken in terrorism.