I’m not going to pretend I have the words to properly acknowledge today. I remember this feeling, this crisp Tuesday in September eleven years ago when the world tilted on its axis in the middle of 20-minute-break as Joey ran into my Civics classroom and said “A plane just hit the World Trade Center – we’re all watching the news in the cafeteria.”  I remember wondering how exactly one repairs a hole in the middle of a 100+ story building – a question we unfortunately never needed to answer.  I remember walking home through the woods that no longer seemed that scary, given what can happen in the midst of a city.  And I remember being glad, above all, that my Granddaddy wasn’t there to see this destruction of humanity – he who survived Pearl Harbor never had to watch the new depth to which lengths people would go to just to hurt each other, as he had passed away just days earlier.

But if you’re looking for really powerful words to remind you what today meant to our cities, our country, our families, I suggest you check out this tribute from a daughter to her father, and this beautiful post on Feministing.