Finding our people for safety, comfort, and support
Today marks 17 years since the 9/11 attack. Although I did not lose anyone in the tragedy, I, like so many people in the United States and abroad, was affected. I remember that day clearly… my kids and I were in our living room. I was playing with my son who was 2 years old and holding my daughter who was 4 months old. The television was on. Within moments my world, our world, seemed to shake and change. The towers collapsed, planes destroyed, people died, and our nation, and I was in shock, disbelief, and grief. I knew enough to know that I couldn’t stay in that room, with my kids, and continue to watch the destruction and pain, so I we went outside to the backyard. There we played in the sandbox. My son and I rolled cars, plastic animals, and shovels through the soft sand and I sat with numbness and confusion snuggling my soft 4-month old. Now I can understand that I was seeking a way to calm my emotions and being outside, in the sand, with my kids was my way.
After sometime we went back inside and I picked up the phone to call my husband at work. Asking him if he saw the news- he had not. My next call was to my grandmother who was in her apartment watching the coverage. We shared our worries, sat on the phone for awhile, and then said our goodbyes. I called my mother, she was occupied at work. I wanted to be with others to feel safe and comforted and was doing what I could to make contact.
It is in these times of pain and difficulty that we reach out for our people- the people who you look to for comfort and understanding. I could have been in so many other places on that day- but I was with my two kids, parenting, playing, and coming to terms with terrorism and violence.
I hope in times of pain and confusion you can find your people that you can call upon to feel safe and comforted. Who are they? Can you name them?... Maybe call them, or write them, just to say hello.