Fireboat

September 11, 2001 brings memories for every American, for sure. My memories of that day are clear and present in my mind today. At the time, we were living in Virginia with James working on his PhD and me two years into my first job at a civil consulting firm, Anderson & Associates in Blacksburg. On that day, I was 39 weeks pregnant with Quinn and at work when I found out what was happening, obviously well after the two planes hit and when the first tower was on the verge of falling. I was nowhere near NYC, but having grown up near it I was concerned that family or friends would be there and affected. Luckily, no one that I personally know was in or around those two buildings (but my parents lost friends and know people who have lost children). Being pregnant and due with Quinn on the 17th made me ponder what I was doing, bringing a child into this world where such horrible things are happening. I was glad though that he stayed put until the 24th so that it was safe for family to travel to see him once he was born.

Flash forward a few years. When we lived in Tucson, we used to go to a used bookstore called Bookman's. We liked the play areas they had and we'd often let the kids choose a book to buy. One time, when Quinn was about 3, he chose this book, Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey. I had no idea what the book was about, neither did he. I think he picked it because he's always been into boats. But when we got home and read it, I realized it was about 9-11 and the story of an old fireboat that was used on that day and the days after to put out the fires of that horrible tragedy.

Quinn still loves this book, and I love reading it to him. We read it last night, and he read part of it to me this time :) It is such a wonderful story, and if you have kids I highly recommend it. I also think it's a great way to explain part of what happened to our country on that day. Now that it's been 7 years since that happened, we all know it's important that we don't get complacent and for me, this is a way that I remember -- simple as it may sound, and a way that I can explain it to Quinn and Keely as they grow up.