Written Words

September 13, 2012

One of the great memories of my childhood was opening the mailbox to find a letter from my grandmother. Even better was a letter from her that was addressed to ME.  I knew her handwriting before I could read the words.  Most of us remember learning to print and then the excitement and terror of learning to write in cursive.  We were all taught the basics of the curves and loops and lines and connectors, all of us trying to make our letters look like the models on the board or the paper.   Even as we struggled with trying to make each letter perfect, our personalities and quirks began to come through in our writing and we each developed our own style.
The onset of the digital world has caused the demise of this particular art form, as keyboards replace pens and pencils.  Most of the students I have now have never been taught cursive writing and struggle to read it.  Do I think we should go back to a time when everything was handwritten and we didn't have access to the many wonders of the digital world?  Of course not.  But, I do find it sad that such a beautiful and personal way of expression may someday be a thing of the past.

The Morning After

September 12, 2012

The day after...the sun came up, the flags dropped to half staff and we began our new normal.  The nation was in shock.  Did this really happen or was it a shared nightmare?  The answer?  Yes, it really happened and we were living in a shared nightmare.  The frantic search for survivors continued, the tears flowed, travel came to a standstill, and the world watched us stumble, then catch each other and stand back up.  We mourned, cried, prayed, sang, held each other up, and began to rise again, determined that terrorists would not bring us to our knees.  People from all over the world prayed and cried with us, and sent us messages of sympathy, hope, and encouragement, and offers of help.  We learned of a man named Osama Bin Laden, of whom many of us had never heard, and of his plans - how he used our own willingness to welcome non-Americans against us.
The day after...our world had changed forever.

9/11

September 11, 2012

This picture is from June of 1996 - who knew that capturing the towers in the background would be important only a few years later.
My 9/11 story is not particularly exciting or unique or memorable.  On that morning I was at school teaching Math to 7th graders and knew nothing of what was happening until after both towers had been hit.  I walked through the teacher's lounge and glanced at the television to see smoke billowing out of the towers; I stopped to see what was happening and was stunned upon hearing the basics of the story.  At that point I went back to my classroom, got my phone, and went outside to start calling family members since I wanted to make sure I knew where everyone was (particularly Mom who had been traveling off and on for several months and had mentioned going to New York City).  It took a while, but I finally got through to everyone.  When I got home that afternoon I turned on the tv and just sat and watched...and watched and watched.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it for days.  On Thursday we knew that Tropical Storm Gabrielle was headed our way and she hit us head on Friday.  It was a relief when the power went out because then I couldn't watch tv any more.
There's no real reason for this (I had no personal connection to anyone in New York, Pennsylvania, or DC), but I was a mess for months.  I found myself crying for no reason, snapping at people who didn't deserve it, and my poor sleeping habits got even worse.
However, I found such inspiration in the heroism and patriotism surrounding that day and the days, weeks, and months that followed.  Heroism in the form of the First Responders, the coworkers, the members of the church that survived and became a sanctuary for the weary and the mourning and the rescue workers, and people from all over the world who banded together to help in any way they could.  The way we banded together as a country was beautiful.  People from all walks of life worked together, prayed together, and held each other up in this time of crisis.  I have always loved this country and the way we came together gave me such hope.
Always remember.  Never forget.  Love one another.  Help each other.  Hold each other up.