My 5-year old daughter's first reaction to this tragedy, when I had given her a watered-down version of the events of 9/11/01, was to ask, "Did the airplanes hit my school?" Reassuring her that it happened "far away" in New York only made her anxious for her New York cousins.  And I can't help thinking, what will happen next?  Will a school full of children, either American or Afghani, be the next innocent target of all this fear and hatred? And how could I ever explain that to her? 

This event has been a wake-up call for me. I can see now that somehow I must shift my focus outward, must transform complacent good intentions into activism. Although I already work for a non-profit, community service organization, there must be more I could be doing to work for peace. If I don't, if we all don't broaden our personal hopes and dreams to include a global end to violence, what kind of future - if any - will our kids have? 

Jillian Hanson, Communications Coordinator
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts

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