Thursday, December 6, 2012

Memorializing

 Mike, his sister Melissa, and I took the kids across the river to visit the 9/11 Memorial. I wondered if they would be too young, but took a chance. By the time we got into the Memorial we had talked a little bit about what had happened on that day. We pointed out the building that Uncle Joe and Aunt Michelle were in. We talked about how the Ferry we took was the only way home for so many people. I wasn't sure what the kids were taking in, but at some point I realized that it was good for me to remember, regardless of what they learned.
 We walked past the fence into the Memorial and the kids hushed. I don't know if it was in sheer amazement at the giant waterfalls, or if they simply absorbed the reverent feeling of the space. We walked around one footprint, found a bench and sat. They asked great questions, "Didn't the bad guys die too? That was a dumb decision!" And they started to empathize, "Everyone must have been so scared because they didn't know what was happening."

It was a good start to understanding such an important day of our country's history. And it ended with a picture of the future and a reminder to never take a day for granted.

1 comment:

kdk said...

I love Colby's hat! This is a great post - and its so weird to think that none of them were around on Sept 11th since we all remember it so vividly. I'll have to check out the memorial soon!