The internet is full of beautifully written tributes to 9/11, some are here, here and here. But this afternoon, as I stopped by our local fire station to take this picture, I tried to explain to my kids what happened on 9/11/01.Both kids talked about it in class today, talked about the Twin Towers and the disaster. I am not sure how many details they heard, but for some reason, tonight I felt as though I could share more information about the awfulness of the day with my two kids.
My daughter wanted to know how it happened. I explained about the airplanes, the really bad men, the towers falling. Why did they do that, she wanted to know. Because they want to hurt the United States.
My son wanted to know what happened to the bad men. I explained they died in the plane crash. I also tried to explain the incredible bravery of the women and men on United Airlines flight 93, the passengers who thwarted the terrorists attempts to crash the plane which was headed for San Francisco.
This particular element still makes me choke up - I can imagine the passengers, frightened out of their minds, thinking about their loved ones at home, determined to stop what is clearly happening before their eyes. I think of their sacrifice, my heart hurts.
After 7 years, I still don't know what to make of this tragedy. I ache thinking about 9/10/01 and how everything was so much simpler that day, just the day before. My son, 13 months old at the time, will never know a time in which this tragedy did not exist. My daughter will always know about the bad people in the world who took over planes on 9/11 and crashed them into buildings.
I have run out of words to describe how I feel. It is still heartbreaking.
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