Over the summer, my very favorite kid that I worked with was
13-year-old Kelli. She was the sweetest, funniest girl and we became close friends.
She had come to the ranch with her dad, step-mom and younger half sister. I
asked her about her real mom and she told me the story.
Kelli was born in New York City and both of her parents
worked in the twin towers. Her mom and dad switched off days that they dropped
2-year-old Kelli off at day care. On September 11th 2001, her dad
dropped her off at day care then got on the subway to go to work. The subway
came to a stop and when her dad found out that the twin towers had been bombed
he immediately ran back to the day care to pick Kelli up.
Kelli's mom died that day. She had worn her wedding ring
everyday since her wedding 5 years earlier but for some reason that day she
left her ring on the vanity in her bathroom and Kelli will have that part of
her mom forever.
The tragedy of September 11th is much more real
to me now that I know Kelli and her family. It’s more personal, more tragic.
Hi Grace :) I read your blog all the time and I don't comment. Why? I'm not sure. So I'm changing that now. I love your blog. And I love you.
ReplyDeleteThis post really touched me. Payton is darling. How neat for her to have such a keepsake to remember her mom. It's easy to forget when anniversaries become more numerous the individual lives that were changed. Thank you for the reminder.
Wow...what a touching story.
ReplyDelete