Searching for Blue Skies Before and After September 11

Lessons in looking at the dark and light sides of human nature

HRH Sophie, Countess of Wessex visits The National September 11th Memorial Museum on November 11, 2015 in New York City. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

April 1976

I am four years old. I am standing in the bedroom of Melinda’s ranch house. We are friends from preschool. Proudly, she holds a framed photograph so I can take a closer look. In the photo, she wears a beautiful lace and…