It’s all too easy for parents of children with autism to underestimate their connectivity with the larger world. Our daughter, Karla, who is now 25, drew a picture to commemorate 9/11 and shared her thoughts on the anniversary:
I was at home, at our house. I just woke up from my sleep and I was walking in the hallway to get a snack from the kitchen. I remembered that Mom or Dad was talking to a friend on the phone, saying “Oh no! Look what happened to the World Trade Center!” and then they went to their bedroom to watch the news on TV to see what happened. Karen was at school at SMU that day. Kristin was in a Officer’s Basic Course in Missouri before being stationed in Seattle at Fort Lewis. That same day I was drawing in my room and listening to my radio walkman. I was only 17 years old that day. Even so, but still. I feel very sorry for the poor families who lost their loved ones on that day. I hope a day like this never happens again. Not only the day affected the United States, but also affected most other countries altogether. We shall never forget.
I couldn’t say it better. Thank you for sharing this with us, Karla.
Karla's Tribute to the Victims of 9/11
1 Comment
aterpenny · November 7, 2009 at 2:09 pm
To further share my thoughts about 9/11:
I was in sixth grade when the Twin Towers were hit. And like most, if not all, I remember EXACTLY what I was doing when the first plane hit. I was in my room getting ready for school when my mom called me into her room. She too was getting ready for school (she is a teacher) but had the TV turned on. I remember looking at the TV and seeing the New York skyline and the smoke that engulfed it. I remember immediately turning towards my mom and asking her if everyone was alright and she replied that she wasn’t sure because the phone lines were crowded with countless calls to family members. Most of my family lives in New York and its surrounding areas. That morning, my cousin took the subway that traveled right past the Twin Towers on her way to school an hour prior to the bombing. She ended up spending the night in her school’s cafeteria along with the other 2,000 students that attended her school. The mother of a childhood friend I once had flew her search and rescue dogs as well as herself to help with the catastrophe immediately after its onset. I also remember sitting in class that same day as the administration of my middle school tried to keep the morning’s events hush-hush, a feat that lasted no longer than 20 minutes into first period.
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