I saw this video today and it struck a chord with me as I’ve been reflecting on the history of this day. I love this song and although I hadn’t heard this cover before, I found it appropriate for the tone of the video.
It’s a little hard to watch (may not be for everyone). It stirred up emotions of hurt and pain as well as pride and gratitude for all those that showed up that day and went to work.
As we reflected on today’s events, each of my kids came home and shared what they learned in school. I’m grateful for all their teachers who made it a priority to teach them about it and for a preschool teacher who finds it important that even kids as young as three years old know what this special day represents and why we honor it each and every year.
We were introduced to the Healing Fields in Tempe a couple years ago by a friend. It’s an exhibit of flags representing each person who lost their life on September 11. It’s on display for several days leading up to September 11 and we’ve been able to attend the last couple years.
The display is powerful on so many levels. Each flag has a name card describing the person it represents. We like to meander through the flags reading the name cards and learning about so many lives – both young and old.
It’s humbling.
And a good reminder of a tragic event that seems so distant to my kids but yet in my mind it seems so clear. We visited the flags with friends and each one of us could recall the exact events of that day 18 years ago with detail and clarity. I had just started college the week before and Steve was on his mission in a foreign country.
I remember every thing about that day. I remember.
Although my kids weren’t alive – I want them to remember. Visiting these grounds each year is one way we’re teaching them to remember.
Its red, white and blue week at preschool and Cannon came home dressed as the Statue of Liberty – cupcake torch and all! He sang America the Beautiful with his little kid voice trying to enunciate all the words of the song and retold the events of September 11th – which was perfectly timed as we had visited the healing field memorial the night before and talked about it as a family. His favorite part of the day…finding a shirt in his closet that had all the colors of the flag.
