Just now, my sixth grade neighbor popped over to interview me for her history class. She wanted to learn about my experiences on 9/11. It suddenly occurred to me that she viewed me the way I saw people who were alive when President Kennedy was assassinated. They were old and part of history long ago. But now, I’m the one who lived through that terrible day in September, when the sky seemed unnaturally blue as I watched the second plane hit the South Tower. Did I remember how I felt? Did I remember the events of the day? What did I do?
Yes, I remember everything. My husband joined the interview to talk about his relief efforts as Cru distributed over 10 million memorial magazines called Fallen but Not Forgotten in NYC. Ashley worked for a week to support people in the city.
The day’s events stay clear in my mind, and I was happy to recount them for a young girl who hadn’t lived through it. I suppose in decades to come, we’ll also talk about living through a pandemic to young people who never experienced it.
Time passes, and it matters to talk about it and not forget what we felt and what we learned.