We Remember

Yesterday was supposed to be a normal day--taking a beautiful walk as a family, visiting a park, going to church, etc. But yesterday was different. Yesterday was special.

Watching Colbie run through the flags, not knowing what they meant. Beautiful--quietly observing the perfect innocence of a little child.

She didn't understand.

As we walked through the flags we noticed tags attached to each flag that read names. Ages. Occupations. Families. Short Biographies. Stories.

There were 2,977 flags.

Fourteen years ago I arrived at school, tardy as usual. I remember walking down the 6th grade hallway to my classroom. As I walked in the door, something was different. My teacher had the TV on. She had it facing the back of the room so none of us could see. Throughout the day she would go to the back of the room and watch. We wondered why. We didn't understand.

When I got home that day, my siblings and I gathered around the TV, confused. How could this happen? To America?

Yesterday was special because we got to witness a beautiful testimony to the lives of those who lost their lives 14 years ago. We got to rekindle that patriotic spirit inside of us. We got to share that with our daughter. Though she doesn't understand what it is about now, someday she will, and someday she will remember and likely tell her friends, "My mommy was alive for that. She was in 6th grade. She was late for school. And every year we remember and we pray for America."

I'm so grateful I had my camera so I could better share my heart through pictures and not just words.

He was incredible. Everyone near us (including myself) was brought to tears.

 Thank you to the Exchange Club of Tempe for putting this on. We just happened to go to the right park on the right day. I hope you do it every year.

xoxo,