Thank you note from a child to a firefighter after 9/11 leads to a full-circle moment, 25 years later
Twenty-five years ago, a little girl named Emily Clark wrote to a firefighter after 9/11, asking him to write back.
FDNY Captain Tom Brown did more than that. He showed up at her school instead.
Now, he's back in her classroom, though this time, she's the teacher.
Clark was a fourth grader when she wrote her card in the dark days after 9/11, when many children were writing to their heroes. Brown kept the card, which now resides in his basement, and his heart.
"At the bottom it said 'please write back,' and it was ... just sticks with you," Brown said.
Twenty five years ago, Brown showed up at Clark's Levittown school, and talked to the class about bravery and gratitude.
Now he has surprised another elementary school class. This time, it was taught by Dr. Emily Clark, currently a fifth-grade teacher at the Meadow School in Baldwin.
Brown tracked her down and found her teaching in his own hometown.
"It was that whole circle thing that put a chill down your spine," Brown said.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Clark said. "I just feel very lucky that I got to see this full circle, that my students got to experience it."
His presence in her classroom is living proof of the power of heartfelt written words.
"A simple thing like a letter is so powerful," Brown said. "Too easy to go on our electronic devices. Write something down because that will last forever. Our phone, you'll delete it and never see it again."
"I think it just highlights the importance of taking time to say thank you and to reach out to people that mean something to you," Clark said.
That's a lesson she passes on to her students, who now write thank-you notes to first responders.
"She carried what she did 25 years ago, and is still doing it today. That's huge," Brown said.
"A small little note, a tiny act of kindness can really go a long way," Clark said.
And now another generation is learning how far a little kindness can go.