So I cried today at the library ...

When we go to the library to read, Wrigley is in charge of picking out the books. Sometimes she brings me board books. Sometimes she brings me books in Spanish. Sometimes she brings me books that are way over her head.

Today, she picked out Bravemole.

Bravemole tells the story of an ordinary, average-Joe mole. He's a husband and a Daddy, working a humdrum job. One day, two "dragons" attack the two tallest "molehills" in the city. All the moles are terrified, but many - including Bravemole - work together to clean up the destruction.

As I told Wrig on the way home, the book reminds me of something sad. You see, I told her, Bravemole is kind of a true story, only it's not about dragons and it's not about moles.

Bravemole is by no means a perfect book - I'm not even sure I'd highly recommend it - but about a page and a half into it, I started feeling choked up. I'd have to stop at least once a page, often more than that, to gather myself before I could continue reading. By the end, I was stopping to wipe away tears. The book brought me back to where I was in September, 2001, a month before Wrigley was born. It reminded me of the fear in my students' voices that day. It reminded me of crying every day on the way to work, listening to the somber voices on NPR, telling the tales of the lost. It made me remember the shocking nobility of police officers and fire fighters racing up the stairs of a burning building. Who knew such honor existed in the 21st century?

I confess, it's been a long time since I've been in touch with that fire of patriotism, that sense of hope derived from one mole's - I mean one person's - willingness to sacrifice.

And I cannot express how furious I am at our president, who has squandered the goodwill of the entire world. When I hear him say "9/11" I hear it as propaganda; I hear it as fear mongering. I hear it as another cynical, failed campaign promise.

Thanks, Bravemole, for reminding what September 11, 2001, really means.

And thanks, Wrig, for letting me cry while reading a kid's book in the library today.