For me, these little faces represent 9/11 for my own life.
I was the looping teacher for this 3rd grade class. They had been with me, since 2nd grade. By this point, I considered us a family. That terrifying day, I was confused & scared myself. God gave me the strength to put my energy into calmly sharing information when needed (had to battle some lunch/recess rumors) & reassuring these little ones of their safety. It broke my heart that they had questions about planes flying into buildings.
A few days later, we completed these flags. They hung in our classroom window for a long time.
I'll always remember...
*hearing about the first plane, via the radio, on my way to work.
*seeing coverage of that plane on TV, once I arrived.
*watching in real time, as the 2nd plane collided with the 2nd tower.
*receiving staff emails, throughout the day.
*having a co-worker stand in the doorway of my classroom & say, "They hit the Pentagon."
*my heart sinking with each new tragedy
*my students asking questions, after hearing rumors during lunch/recess.
*deciding to share just enough truth with the kids, so that I could diminish fears from the rumors...they sat in a circle on the floor.
*my heart breaking again...wishing kids didn't have to know about these "bad guys" & the hurt that they caused others.
*having coworkers with adult children working near or visiting the towers that day...thankfully, both were ok. I don't think either made it near the site that day. Miracle.
*watching a tower fall, during my lunch break.
*making contact with my own family members, to tell each other we were ok.
*cleaning the house like mad, once home...just to work out nervous energy.
*not being able to fall asleep right away. We usually had a plane fly over around 11p.m. each night. It was so strange not to hear any air traffic for days.
*wondering what would happen next
*feeling terrible for all those closest to the horrible events.
I will always remember, but I will also move forward with hope in the One who understands everything that happened that day. In the midst of so much evilness & ugliness that day, there were stories of triumph, of heroes, & of ordinary people reaching out to others.
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