In downtown Hilliard there is a relatively new memorial called the First Responders Park. Currently it is the largest memorial in the country that honors first emergency responders who gave their lives during the 9-11 attacks. Fixed in the park are huge i-beams from the World Trade Center plaza. We walk to the park often because of Vanessa's requests to do so. She asks to ride her bike there often too. We've been going there since it was established. Zane also loves it there.
Before Zane arrived, Vanessa coined the area "the stack of men." There's an incredible sculpture that depicts all examples of emergency responders. It is made of metal and the responders are connected and they swirl upward, so they appear to be stacked. The park is also made up of fountains to splash and steps and ledges to climb. We're taking a break from visiting there for now because of the flowers and gifts left there from visitors over the weekend.
When we do visit, the kids smile and laugh. Vanessa has asked many times why there's a stack of men at the park -- "What does it mean?" I simply tell her that it's to say thank you to those who help when people are hurt or in trouble. It was hard to watch the events of 9-11 unfold with my sixth graders -- How can I tell them everything is okay when I don't know? I don't look forward to sharing and explaining the events of 9-11 to my children. Those events made me question the idea of bringing children into the world -- such darkness and ugliness of which I want to shield and protect them. But then I remember that in the end darkness WILL NOT prevail.
