The morning of September 11, 2001 started for me much like many other beautiful fall mornings in the nation’s capital, where I worked.

The air was clear and crisp as I spent the early morning giving some constituents of the Congressman I worked for a tour of the White House.

When I got back to my office on Capitol Hill, I looked up at the television in our waiting room, as I always did when walking back in to the office, to check out CSPAN to see what was happening in Congress. It was then that I saw the second plane hit the twin tower in New York.

I had not heard of or seen the first plane, and I remember clearly the confusion I felt, having no idea what I was seeing.

As our team gathered quickly to watch, we all stared, dumbfounded, numb, scared.

There was an early message from Congressional leadership to all offices, urging calm and promising more information as it became available. We had not yet heard of what had happened at the Pentagon.

In relatively short order, a Capitol Hill police officer ran frantically into our office and yelled, “Everybody run!” I thought of Kipling’s quote, “people all about you losing their heads.”

We had heard of evacuation sites for disasters like this near the Capitol, where most went, but mainly it was chaos as people streamed out of the buildings, just wanting to get away. One of our staff members later recounted taking off her heels and running away from the Capitol for a mile in her stocking feet.

It took me 4 hours to go the 10 miles or so to my home. There was no cell phone service, so I had no idea where my wife and three children were.

In reflecting back on that day, the impressions I have and lessons I’ve drawn are varied; who can forget the bravery of the firefighters in New York who climbed up into a burning building, even as others were jumping out of it?

It’s a mystery why bad things happen. And we don’t necessarily ever know the reasons why.

Some people show up well; others are crippled by fear. Some are driven by and resort to hatred.

One thing, though, that we saw clearly is that some people react like heroes. Which brings me to Charlotte Mason and her emphasis on character and habit formation.

Her phrase “I am, I can, I ought, and I will” speaks to who we are, our agency, how we can develop our character, and how we respond in times of deep adversity.

Some might recall Todd Beamer, one of the heroes of the day, he of the “let’s roll” line. My parents visited the Shanksville, PA, crash site of the downed plane Beamer was in. Afterward, my mother wrote a letter to Mrs. Beamer, thanking her for his sacrifice. She told her, “my son was at the White House and the Capitol that day – either of which were the likely intended targets; my son is alive today because of your son’s bravery.”

There is something deeply inspiring about the bravery and selflessness I witnessed that day.

May the memories of those brave souls who perished on that sad day lead us to treat each day as a gift from the Lord and develop in ourselves the character and courage to do hard things, serve others, and show up well in difficult times.

Dean Peterson

Executive Director

Ambleside Schools International