#sol17 Remembering and Respecting

I was remembering the sights, sounds, smells, and pains of that bright, clear morning as I pulled into the station for petrol for my hungry Mazda.  I noticed the price was higher than the last time I filled up and remembered the disasters in Texas and Florida thinking, "At least I have gas," I handed over my credit card on a morning etched into not-just-my-memory.

I might have been still deep in thought as I decided I deserved a coffee and entered the "Mobile on the Run Coffee Zone." Then, I noticed him lingering at the open door.  This young man, likely still in preschool 16 years ago, held the door open for me as he offered, "Hope it is a good day for you!"  I noted his smile and his "respect," for me, someone he did not know and who would not likely cross his path again.

I thought of him again, later in the morning, as Steve Max implored our students to be respectful and kind as we "kicked" at our character building assembly.  I thought of him later that afternoon as I worked with "C" whose summer slide did not happen because he played word games with his dad all summer long! I thought of him as I asked "L" to read just one more book and to bring home a brand new word ring with some old familiar words.  I thought of him as I played "decorate the rock" and as I "rowed the fake boat at the gym."  I thought of him as a read blog post from those whose lives were changed forever that day.

He may have been far too young to remember the bright morning sky on 911.  Or he may have lost an dad, mom, grandparent, uncle, aunt, family friend that day. I'll never know.  I do know that I remember and that HE respects not only me, some sort-of-old-lady-buying-Mobile-on-the-Run-Coffee who was deep-in-thought-about-the-life-changing-memories-of-that-day, even if he is too young to remember that horrible day.