Same Day, Different Realities
Curated Just for You: How one event holds many stories and why it's vital to see the many variations.
As we move through 2026, my prayer is that we move with intention. With the intention of shaping our habits so that we become promoters of good. Of acknowledging our regrets and then leaving them by the wayside. And, understanding our biases so we can move forward without trampling others. These reflections on September 11, 2001, may seem untimely, but in sharing them, my intention, my desire, my prayer, is that they will prompt you to live inspired in these few, precious days we are given.
Different Realities. Same Day.
How one event holds many stories
I started craving soup.
Not French onion. Not clam chowder. The soup from my childhood. Campbell’s chicken noodle, chicken with rice, and vegetable; you know the one with the alphabet letters. They had often been my breakfast or snack when I was a little girl.
At the time, it didn’t register as strange. But looking back, it should have. I was thirty-eight years old, reverting to childhood habits without realizing why.
A few months later, I read that Campbell Soup sales had increased nationwide. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, people across the country had turned to comfort food.
Conflicting Views. Shared Humanity.
September 11 was one of those days that is permanently etched in the memory of most Americans who recall the attack. (Though not all, but I’ll get to that shortly.) For me, it was a day marked by both discernment and regret.
I was teaching sixth grade at a Christian school. When the middle school principal came to my classroom and told me a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers, I knew immediately it wasn’t an accident. Years of teaching history and reading spy thriller novels had made me aware that such things could happen in reality. When the second plane hit, the rest of the country then too realized we were under attack.
I made a decision not to watch the unfolding news, so my classroom television stayed off. I didn’t want my students watching the footage on repeat. Once it was clear the crashes were deliberate, I explained what little was known and told them what mattered most—God was still in control. Mrs. Allen, the algebra teacher next door, came to my room to share Psalm 91, which speaks to trusting God even when the future is uncertain. We then prayed with our students.
That was the discernment.
The regret came later.
When I picked up my youngest son that afternoon—his fifth-grade classroom was on the third floor of our K–8 school—he stopped in the stairwell and asked, “Why would they do something like that?”
I didn’t have an answer. Why didn’t I offer the same grounding words I gave my students? That moment remains one of my biggest regrets. It taught me that discernment doesn’t always arrive when you need it most.
So often in life, major events hold conflicting emotions. They are also viewed differently by every person who experiences them. Much of the country was processing the shock, but each in a different way. Comfort foods. Flying the American flag. Enlisting. Being kinder to neighbors.
As you may recall, there was also the economic dip. For us, it was concerning because my husband worked in an industry that manufactured a luxury product–pleasure boats. During a conversation with the mother of one of my students, she complained that her husband, a bank executive, worked too many hours. My response may have seemed bold, but I gently reminded her that work is a blessing and that, in the aftermath, many families were concerned about their economic futures.
While the uptick in comfort foods indicated a collective response to the tragedy, we must remember that each of us still has our unique lived experiences. It’s not the ability to view events the same that matters.
What is essential is that we make no assumptions that others perceive and process the same way we do.
Separate Worlds. Connected Lives.
I met Zuri in a parenting class I was teaching, where the participants were court-ordered to attend. As I was sharing reactions to watch for in their children in the wake of September 11, such as insomnia or clinginess, Zuri seemed confused. Another class member had to explain the event to her.
That evening, I gave her a ride home. As we talked, she shared her desire to do right by her youngest child, as she had not raised any of her other children. Zuri was determined to stay drug-free and was proud that she had a steady job on a construction site. September 11 wasn’t on her radar. Life was already a matter of survival for her. It was another lesson in how our realities can be immensely different yet still be the truth.
Much of the country, though, experienced a similar mood in the months following the attacks. We were united despite our differences.
As we journey through 2026, I pray that the only flags flying at half-mast will be for dignitaries who have lived long, full lives. It is, however, out of our control.
What is in our control is how we react and interact.
If you need a little comfort food now and then, enjoy it. If you have regrets, let them go. When you see the world differently, move. Move into the other person’s worldview. You don’t have to stay there, but a short visit will make an immense impact. This year, let’s all work toward recognizing our biases, offering grace to ourselves and others, and appreciating others’ perspectives.
If you want help putting words on the pages of your life, consider joining one of my Seasons & Moments Life Story Courses. The next one is Turning Points, a six-week online course that focuses on the beliefs, relationships, and experiences that shaped who you are.
Each week, there is a specific theme and a set of writing prompts. The themes are designed to help you tell the truth of your experience without getting lost in endless pages. Sessions include discussion, activities, and time for sharing.
It isn’t about writing well. It’s about writing for well-being.
Details:
• Six-week course on Zoom
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If you’re ready to explore the turning points in your life while meeting engaging people from the country, contact me for more information.