Appreciate What You Have (Before It Becomes What You Had)

9/11/2018

“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.”
-David Levithan

Read this article and respond to the following prompt.

These teenagers are about your age. Try to put yourself in their shoes. How might you feel? Do their stories make you appreciate what you have? Do they change your perception of 9/11?

50 Comments

Devon Nutt

9/11/2018 10:11:25 am

If I were on of these teenagers I would feel proud of my father. Many cases involved them risking their lives to help and save others during the terrorist attack on 9/11. These stories do make me appreciate what I have and it does change my perception of 9/11 because I now realize that the attacks affected others more harshly than me.

Cherish

9/11/2018 10:16:31 am

These kids’ lives were definitely changed on 9/11. I think I would feel proud as well, however do you think that you would feel like a part of you is somehow missing? I know this event has impacted my family immensely because my dad was less than 100 miles away from the Twin Towers when it all took place.

Hayes

9/11/2018 10:13:20 am

If I was in their shoes, I think I would respond in a similar way. They all seemed sad because of that little piece of them that was sadly taken before they could know and enjoy it, but it’s also just a part of their life, and I think I would respond the same way. It’s something that affects everyday life, but it’s something you become essentially numb too over years, but missing that person is something you’ll always feel.

Kelsey

9/11/2018 10:16:23 am

I like how you stated this

Kayla

9/11/2018 10:20:53 am

You’re last sentence is definitely true. Loosing someone does take time to heal but you never can fully heal when someone you love is taken from you.

Cherish

9/11/2018 10:13:29 am

I would imagine I would feel like a part of me is missing somehow, because I never got to meet a part of my own family. The stories these teens have shared made me realize not to take life for granted and to appreciate what I have in life. They changed my perception by making me come to the realization that your whole world can change in a matter of seconds.

Hailey Jo

9/11/2018 10:18:19 am

They lost a piece of their life before their lives even began and I agree that would be the feeling of missing apart of yourself.

Hayes

9/11/2018 10:19:08 am

I completely agree with your last sentence

Aimee

9/11/2018 10:20:13 am

I like what you said about how fast our lives can change. Sometimes we don’t realize how fragile our lives really are.

Nutt

9/11/2018 10:20:42 am

Life can change for the worst in a span of only a few seconds. This is why we need to appreciate the blessings we have now.

Katelyn

9/11/2018 10:14:03 am

I might feel almost empty because of the lack of a person who was supposed to watch me grow is not there. However, the memory that my mother would bring with her would be enough to know that the father is still apart of the family experience. I would be appreciative about what I have that wasn’t taken so suddenly. In my perspective, it makes me realize that on the most normal of days, I wouldn’t imagine it would drastically alter my life by having a loved one being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Robyn

9/11/2018 10:18:26 am

Do you think you would idolize your father more than you do now?

Sarah

9/11/2018 10:22:07 am

That’s why you have to make sure the people around you know that you love them.

Hailey Jo

9/11/2018 10:15:16 am

Reading their stories definitely makes me appreciate what I have more than before, they all lost an important part in this life and I couldn’t even begin to understand how they feel. 9/11 is a tragic day in US history but sometimes we forget how personally it can affect people. Seeing how each kid has a different way in remembering their dad is amazing because they’re each so personal to them.

Kelsey

9/11/2018 10:17:42 am

I like how you stated ways they remember their dads is all different

Aimee

9/11/2018 10:18:49 am

I agree that we can at times forget how many people this attack affected and how great each individuals loss is.

Robyn

9/11/2018 10:21:02 am

I agree that sometimes we can easily forget the effect that big events have on families and people on a personal level.

Kelsey Olson

9/11/2018 10:15:23 am

Some my feel different then others but I would feel sad and lost if I didn’t have my father. Yes I never realized that some kids are so lucky to have what we have. They don’t really change how I look at 9/11 because I always knew people lost their loved ones.

Hayes

9/11/2018 10:18:19 am

I like how honest you were in this

Hailey Jo

9/11/2018 10:20:19 am

I feel the same, it doesn’t chnage my whole perspective but it definitely makes me remember that 9/11 did personally affect a lot of families

Alexis Anderson

9/11/2018 10:34:07 am

I like that you stated “[…] some kids are so lucky to have what’s we have.”

Connor born

9/11/2018 10:15:46 am

I would be proud of my father but also really sensitive about the topic. The stories do make me appreciate what I have and it also changes my perspective that other people went through a lot more than some.

Nate

9/11/2018 10:19:25 am

I like your sensitive comment

Kayla

9/11/2018 10:15:53 am

I was born 7 months prior to 9/11. Even though I did not loose a family member that day it is still upsetting that many people did loose their lives that day. They were people trying to make a living and provide for their families; their families that would never see them again. I did have family around when it happened and some in Washington where the pentagon was hit at the time. These teenagers never knew their fathers which is sad. They didn’t deserve that.

Katelyn

9/11/2018 10:24:14 am

It’s a frightening experience to imagine, whether for yourself or a close relative. Would you have felt proud of anyone that died in that event or more of sadness?

Robyn

9/11/2018 10:16:01 am

IF I was in these people’s shoes, depending on how the situation was presented to me by my mother of course, like I was missing something. I would probably also wonder a lot what if’s would be like if my father hadn’t died. If he had died in a plane to go see my birth like that one girl’s did, I would probably also feel guilty. I think these stories made me think a little more about the impact the deaths had on the people’s children, something I hadn’t really considered before.

Cherish

9/11/2018 10:18:12 am

I too would’ve felt like a part of me was missing. Especially since I never got to meet my own father

Aimee

9/11/2018 10:16:15 am

I think that it would be very hard to live your life knowing that you just barely missed your opportunity to meet one of your parents. The thought that if they had been in a different place at that exact moment you would have been able to know one of your parents has to be a helpless feeling. Their stories do make me appreciate what I have because death is an extremely hard thing to deal with and to have to deal with it at such a young age must change you as a person. These stories do change my perception a little bit because these kids have learned how to move on and find meaning in their lives while still remembering those they have lost.

Brook

9/11/2018 10:21:11 am

Very true

Kiana Farnworth

9/11/2018 10:22:35 am

I agree that with this situation there would be a lot of what if’s and that would be extremely hard to handle and think about.

Alexis Anderson

9/11/2018 10:27:30 am

I think that feeling like you’d lost your opportunity would be a form of grief, over coming that is a very big ordeal.

James

9/11/2018 10:17:29 am

I would be proud of what my father had done. But feel that something is missing from my life but it would just be normal by now. These stories haven’t changes my perception of 9/11.

Connor born

9/11/2018 10:20:28 am

Yea I deal like by now it wouldn’t be such a hard topic to talk about

Sarah Hamblin

9/11/2018 10:17:52 am

I would probably feel confused if I had lost a family member, especially someone as close as a father, in 9/11. To have a part of my life taken away from me would make me angry. Knowing there are people who went through this makes me glad I have my family and they’re safe. I knew that there were people lost in 9/11 but hearing stories from those people’s families makes it more real instead of just a story that doesn’t effect me.

Kiana Farnworth

9/11/2018 10:23:52 am

I agree that a lot of confusion and conflicting emotions would accompany such a terrible situation.

Katelyn

9/11/2018 10:28:05 am

It makes you feel almost empathetic for them even if you can’t relate with the situation as a whole. It’s a good thing to feel appreciative for having your family safe from this kind of life changing event.

Brook

9/11/2018 10:19:07 am

If I would have lost my dad in 9/11 I would be heartbroken to have lost him but also greatful to of had someone so brave that saved other people who could’ve been In the same position as me. It did make me appreciate what I had more because you never know when they could be taken. Yes because I never really thought of how the families felt after.

Nick

9/11/2018 10:28:28 am

Good response

Alexis Anderson

9/11/2018 10:19:16 am

Their stories did not change how I feel about 9/11, I have a always felt the everyone who risked or sacrificed their life deserve a special place in every American’s heart. If I hadn’t a family member that had been one that was lost, I would be thankful for the time they had with everyone else but jealous that they got to meet and be apart of their everyday life, and I wouldn’t have been so lucky. I am grateful for what I have for family.

Kayla

9/11/2018 10:22:16 am

We do need to be grateful for what we have. Things do happen for a reason.

Kiana Farnworth

9/11/2018 10:19:32 am

I imagine that losing a parent before you were even born would feel like an emptiness that you can’t understand. Any loss brings an emptiness, but losing someone you never knew but love would probably be harder to grasp. We should always feel gratitude for the people we have in our life because they can be taken at any moment, stories like these remind me to be grateful at all times. 9/11 was an extremely tragic event not just for those who died, but for those who were left behind. I think we forget about that aspect of tragedy sometimes, we should always remember those who were lost and those who were left behind without their loved one. I imagine that it would feel like a part of themselves had been lost when that person passed.

Brandon Westfall

9/11/2018 10:21:22 am

I would feel a large amount of grief and sorrow. These stories do make me appreciate my family. My perception of 9/11 has changed. The amount of people lost that day was huge and tragic.

Connor born

9/11/2018 10:23:17 am

It would be real sad but after so many years I think it wouldn’t be as sad

Nutt

9/11/2018 10:25:36 am

The amount of lives lost was great the day of these attacks. And that makes me wonder what other stories exist from people affected by this event.

Saymen Clifton

9/11/2018 10:22:51 am

I don’t know I probably wold feel lonely revengeful trying to find desperately who is the responsible for the death of my parents. I appreciate my life because of their story. I have the family that I need And their story changed my perception of 9/11 for sure.

Konner

9/11/2018 10:27:18 am

I would feel the same about finding the people responsible.

Konner

9/11/2018 10:23:07 am

It would suck to be in the shoes of someone that has never got to meet there father. These stories make me enjoy what I have and having a father wanted u to succeed in live and being there for you.

Nick

9/11/2018 10:26:13 am

Good way to think about it.

Nick heble

9/11/2018 10:23:46 am

I would be sad but I would be proud most people’s fathers risked their lives for others. Yes, I do appreciate what I have but it doesn’t change the way I look at 9/11 because I already knew it was tragic.

Nate

9/11/2018 10:27:48 am

I would be proud of my parent that had died. It would be a sad thing overall to deal with. It doesn’t really change the way I look at the whole scenario just adds to it.

Appreciate What You Have (Before It Becomes What You Had)

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