Last year on this date, I learned that my daughter didn’t remember 9/11. What was more upsetting at the time was how she didn’t believe me when I showed her what I viewed as evidence of a great tragedy. Since then, we’ve referred to it more often, and in November of 2007, we took a trip to New York and stood at Ground Zero with our daughter, who now believes, although, like most of us, cannot accept what happened that day.
Reflecting upon our conversation a year ago, and the events since that day, and the way our daughter has grown up so much in the last year, I understand now why she questioned it. I understand why she couldn’t allow that possibility into her safe and protected universe. I get why it took months for her to wrap her mind around it, and a trip to gaze at what is, essentially the burial ground for so many who died that day in New York City.
I get it.
As we get farther and farther away from the actual event, there were be more people that have no actual memory of it.
However, I think it will be one of those defining moments for those of us who DO remember…people slightly older than me can remember exactly what they were doing when they heard about Kennedy being shot. My folks talked the same way about Pearl Harbor.