Patriots Day is 9/10. However, 9/11 is a date that immediately brings to mind for many of us where you were when you heard the news of the terrorist attack on America. This year marks the 20th anniversary of that tragic day. Today, middle and high school students read and research about the event that shaped our nation and this world as we know it today.
You may have been living in the sanctity of the Midwest far from the events, but even so, educators and administrators, no matter where you were, had to try and make sense of the actions of that day. You had to quickly figure out how to help your schools' youth make sense of something you had not yet processed yourself.
The world moved fast back in 2001 (albeit not as fast as today), and news traveled very fast that September day in 2001, while the world stood still at the same time. Have you given any thought as an educator or administrator to that very story being told by countless students who include your name in the story? Maybe what they tell is not what they were taught that day, but no doubt the story would include a bit of how they felt and how you made them feel. The grace you gave your students and coworkers that day will last their lifetime. Each of us has a common bond of living through 9/11 and having our own version of that “I remember when” life-altering moment. This is one “common something” that many of us share at least 20 years old. Fast forward to today and how the “common something” or bond of that day fades and is replaced by the “picking of sides” in today’s pandemic environment.
This weekend, that common bond will be present for those in New York City or who had a family member or friend who perished or survived that tragic day. While the weight of a “something” varies for all of us, the common bond of all carrying “something” exists.
September 11, for me, brings about my birthday every year. This year marks the exciting milestone of my 50th birthday. Those in my orbit always remark about how I share my birthday with such a day in history. A much smaller group in my orbit also knows that five years ago, on September 11, I lost my mom. She passed away from a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. The horrific attacks of 2001 and the premature passing of my mom make this day in my world not the greatest. I chose not to celebrate 9/11 but honor my mom and the countless others who lost their lives in 2001.
In the fall of 2015, I experienced a professional “something” when after 20 years, I got invited to no longer work for an organization that for nearly 20 years was clearly in my DNA. That “something” led me to KASB. Years ago, I had the belief that even in the insurance world, it must be done “with a purpose.” It was that purpose that seemed to end my career in corporate America. But this fall, KASB launched Kansas Board Solutions, Inc. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of KASB, the vision of Insurance and Consulting with a Purpose is alive in service to public education.
The lessons of giving grace for me are daily renewable, especially in the paragraph above. I do believe that we all have a common purpose, and that purpose is grace! For those “somethings” like 9/11, and for all of us navigating a pandemic, and for all those unseen “somethings,” if we show grace or lead with grace for others, we will all be better off. That is a common purpose we can all get behind.
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