Whatever I said my juniors on that day remains in that moment. However the visceral shock of witnessing airliners bisecting the towers still endures.

Vaguely I can see my son coming through the classroom door, a senior at the high school, his American History teacher-mom. His face reflected the same shock clear on every kid in the room, and every American across the country.

It was later, in the local newspaper, that I discovered my words but the transforming pain they too suffered watching their country attacked in real time..

(For the writer’s privacy I’ve deleted their identity)

Gail Chumbley is the author of the two-part memoir, “River of January,” and “River of January: Figure Eight,” both available on Kindle. Chumbley has also composed two history plays: Clay on the life of Henry Clay and Wolf By The Ears a study in racism.

gailchumbley@gmail.com