never forget
I was in fifth grade. I didn't hear about the attacks until I got to school. We had a substitute that day. I think she was scared because she wouldn't let us talk about it or let us watch the news like other classes were doing. Not knowing what was happening scared me.
At recess the skies were silent. It was eerie knowing there couldn't be any more planes in the sky that day.
On the way home from school, my brother and I stopped at my uncle's house. He gave us a brief rundown of what was going on. I still felt lost. I wanted to know more.
Later that afternoon I sat with grandpa in the kitchen and waited for my piano lesson with grandma. He was pouring over the newspaper. When I got home, I did the same. I sprawled out on the kitchen floor and read every single story about the attacks. I peppered my parents with questions. I was so confused. None of it made sense.
It still doesn't make sense. And politics aside, I don't know if it ever will. Looking back, my perspective on 9/11 has changed. It's still as horrific to me now as it was thirteen years ago (if not more so). But now I find myself thinking about people, especially the individuals who lived ordinary lives but then died on that day.
I think Brian Doyle said it best in his essay, "Leap." It hurts. But read it. For me, it helps me to remember why America and its people are so beautiful.
At recess the skies were silent. It was eerie knowing there couldn't be any more planes in the sky that day.
On the way home from school, my brother and I stopped at my uncle's house. He gave us a brief rundown of what was going on. I still felt lost. I wanted to know more.
Later that afternoon I sat with grandpa in the kitchen and waited for my piano lesson with grandma. He was pouring over the newspaper. When I got home, I did the same. I sprawled out on the kitchen floor and read every single story about the attacks. I peppered my parents with questions. I was so confused. None of it made sense.
It still doesn't make sense. And politics aside, I don't know if it ever will. Looking back, my perspective on 9/11 has changed. It's still as horrific to me now as it was thirteen years ago (if not more so). But now I find myself thinking about people, especially the individuals who lived ordinary lives but then died on that day.
I think Brian Doyle said it best in his essay, "Leap." It hurts. But read it. For me, it helps me to remember why America and its people are so beautiful.
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