A lovely, moving essay that I restacked. I'm so glad you're reading me, as well, and I want to share what I wrote about 9-11 on the day 22 years later: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/speak-on-9-11
So glad to connect with you and your heartfelt writing. I know, as you say, that you're in an MFA program but am thinking that perhaps some of my pieces on writing might supplement your studies. I see your gift in this essay alone.
I was a junior in HS and I can distinctly remember the live footage for the second plane. My English teacher was obsessed with the footage and kept the TV on the background for weeks. My older brother was in the National Guard and I knew several classmates who eventually signed up for military service. It was quite a time.
I am sorry for your loss. Loss is so difficult and complex. My grandmother‘s first baby died at birth, but I never really knew about it until my grandfather’s death. When he passed, the grief resurfaced for my grandmother despite the passage of 60+ years. Our griefs do not understand timelines. And we need to grieve even when our griefs do not make headlines.
Powerful. On 9/11/2001 I walked into my first period freshman math class and my best friend at the time Aurelio told me that there had been a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. My first question was "What's the World Trade Center?" There was no math class that morning, and when the second plane hit, we all went to the library and watched the news on those giant black carts with a TV strapped on top. Being in New Mexico, it was a world away from me and especially at that age. I remember listening to the radio that night as I went to sleep and they mentioned that certain gas stations were raising their prices to $6.00 per gallon, from something like $.99.
What I really enjoyed the most about this essay is the way that you weaved your own personal tragedy--I'm sorry to hear about your loss--with the national tragedy so close to you physically and emotionally. I can't imagine how difficult that was to have a personal loss eclipsed by a much larger national tragedy. All I can really think, from my limited viewpoint, is how I would have personally shut out all of the national tragedy and focused on my own healing. That's my natural instinct and intuition when I have my own challenges.
Loved the essay, even when some of the Vocabulary was out of my league! Particularly "Parochal Vicar", and I'm too stubborn to look it up!
A lovely, moving essay that I restacked. I'm so glad you're reading me, as well, and I want to share what I wrote about 9-11 on the day 22 years later: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/speak-on-9-11
So glad to connect with you and your heartfelt writing. I know, as you say, that you're in an MFA program but am thinking that perhaps some of my pieces on writing might supplement your studies. I see your gift in this essay alone.
Heart to heart,
Mary
I was a junior in HS and I can distinctly remember the live footage for the second plane. My English teacher was obsessed with the footage and kept the TV on the background for weeks. My older brother was in the National Guard and I knew several classmates who eventually signed up for military service. It was quite a time.
I am sorry for your loss. Loss is so difficult and complex. My grandmother‘s first baby died at birth, but I never really knew about it until my grandfather’s death. When he passed, the grief resurfaced for my grandmother despite the passage of 60+ years. Our griefs do not understand timelines. And we need to grieve even when our griefs do not make headlines.
Powerful. On 9/11/2001 I walked into my first period freshman math class and my best friend at the time Aurelio told me that there had been a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. My first question was "What's the World Trade Center?" There was no math class that morning, and when the second plane hit, we all went to the library and watched the news on those giant black carts with a TV strapped on top. Being in New Mexico, it was a world away from me and especially at that age. I remember listening to the radio that night as I went to sleep and they mentioned that certain gas stations were raising their prices to $6.00 per gallon, from something like $.99.
What I really enjoyed the most about this essay is the way that you weaved your own personal tragedy--I'm sorry to hear about your loss--with the national tragedy so close to you physically and emotionally. I can't imagine how difficult that was to have a personal loss eclipsed by a much larger national tragedy. All I can really think, from my limited viewpoint, is how I would have personally shut out all of the national tragedy and focused on my own healing. That's my natural instinct and intuition when I have my own challenges.
Loved the essay, even when some of the Vocabulary was out of my league! Particularly "Parochal Vicar", and I'm too stubborn to look it up!
I was also in NM on 9-11. Which town were you living in? I was in Artesia.
Albuquerque. I went to college in Socorro, we would take trips to down to Carlsbad pretty often and stay in Artesia.
I went to college in Albuquerque and lived there for about 10 years. It is a small world.
Excellent article, Zina!🥰💖🙏🕊
Thank you, sweet Paige! <3
Yes....but for God all is well and all matter of things shall be well
❤️ truth