Sunday, September 11, 2011

There are no words...

I had trouble sleeping last night.  Thoughts of out of control airplanes striking towering buildings, images of people jumping to their deaths rather than being burned alive, twisted wreckage and massive clouds of dust filled my mind, keeping sleep at bay.  This morning we remember though we could never ever possibly forget.  The events of that fateful day ten years ago is never far from our consciousness.  Simply hearing the date "September 11th" triggers a knot in the stomach.  For those who came looking for inspiration today, find it in the sacrifice and bravery of those who lost their lives trying to save others. 
I will never forget where I was when I first heard the news:  teaching a class of grade nines how to navigate the piano keyboard.  Talk about trivial as compared to the magnitude of what was going on in the world.  A colleague kept coming to my classroom to give me updates, reminding me to stay calm and not let on to the students that anything was wrong.  It was the longest class of my life.  At lunch time our entire staff gathered in the library to watch live coverage of the events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.  Some were crying, others cursed, we all were stunned.  As Canadians, we were removed from the immediacy of it all, but we were horrified nonetheless.  The afternoon was spent trying to reassure scared students as they feared for their own and their families' safety.  Some parents came and picked their kids up from school at lunch time, wanting to have their family all together as they digested the events of the day and its aftermath. 
I just want to take this moment and acknowledge the magnitude of this date and say to any American who may read this that we will never forget the day that changed your country for ever.  It changed us too.  We will not forget.  Ever.

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