story5668.xml

story5668.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I remembered receiving a phone call from my husband's sister. The tv was off. Within moments of turning it on, the second plane hit. I recalled feeling this intense fear of war like nothing I had before. I looked at my infant son and thought how selfish I was bringing him into this world. This world, after all, was never to be the same to me. My mouth hung open as tears streamed automatically down my face.

Within a couple hours, my oldest son was home from kindergarten. The moment he walked in the door, I immediately burst into tears, feeling like I'd betrayed his innocence as well. The images were live on the tv, as he saw the destruction for the first time. I was unsure what to tell him, but I did my best. He also began to cry. With his voice still muffled to my chest, he told me that he wanted to do something for the children of New York, whose mommies and daddys won't be coming home anymore. He thought sending them all his toys might be comforting, since they always made him feel better when he was scared and lonely.

Despite the panic and fear, I felt a little peace. If a horrible act of inhumanity, like this, could bring out the sensitive caring human in children, like mine, perhaps, we could be parents to a new generation. This generation could be blessed with broader vision, hope, and an ernest desire to love and care for its fellow man.