9/11

Today was Nathan's second day (of a 9 day) vacation and after church we decided we wanted to do some exploring since the weather was sunny and warm.

Nathan found the Indian Creek Trail and we decided to walk a small portion of it. It started a few blocks from our house and we bundled Allison in the stroller and walked for 45 minutes. I couldn't believe how busy the parks/trails were! It seemed like everyone had the same idea we did!

On my shopping adventure this week, I was driving home when I saw a sign for a KC 9/11 memorial. I was intrigued because I didn't think about KC having something like that.

I suggested to Nathan that we head over a check it out. It's a small garden-style memorial but it has a piece of one the towers (it wasn't labelled), a list of those who died in the attacks, and a timeline of the morning.

Our Wornall gospel community group has a section each time we meet where one person shares a little bit about their upbringing and how they see themselves, ie. their struggles and goals. It is a way to get to know people quickly. A few weeks ago, we heard from our host, Katie and she was talking about teen years and said how she was really affected by 9/11. It was a tiny part of her story but it really stuck with me. I know I'm not American and I don't know anyone who died that day, but I remember people crying at my high school, watching the tiny monitors screwed down to metal cart in the cafeteria.

I understood it was sad and terrifying but I feel like I can't comprehend the American mentality regarding the lasting effects of the attack.

 

 

Today, reading the plaques and talking with Nathan, I feel like I understand a very small part of depth of the pain of a country who mourned together. I reacted strongly when I read that the first FDNY casualty was when a fireman was hit by a falling person - and not by the building collapse, fire, etc. The chaos alone is unsettling to think of.

Nathan went to the 9/11 memorial site in New York and he said that it was overwhelming to see. Even though it was a somber outing, I really enjoyed it and felt like I learned a lot.