Saturday, September 11, 2021

Raw

Back in 2004 we took the girls to Ground Zero. The clean up was done and the rebuilding had begun. It was a very somber part of our trip that year but one we didn't want to miss.



 

When we were there earlier this year, we stopped by the memorial again. It looked very different but it was still kind of somber, a place to stop and reflect. I asked Diana if Peter's family visits the site of the 9/11 attacks and she said no. Most people who lived in the area when the attacks happened don't visit it because the pain is still raw. The sounds and smells of that day are etched into their memories and it's not something they want to re-visit.

I hadn't thought about that.

We've been watching a short series called 9/11 One Day in America. It's just personal videos of survivors and first responders as they woke up that day, stopped to get some coffee and headed into work. It started as just a typical day. Some parts are hard to watch and it's so intense that sometimes I forget to breathe, but it shows a side of that day that I'd never seen before. One man who was in the towers when they fell, and came out alive is now a curator at the 9/11 site. He said he now knows his purpose in life. Most people view the site as a memorial but to him it is a cemetery and he is meticulous about how it's maintained.

I'm glad Chuck and I are getting the opportunity in the next couple of weeks to pay our respects again.

2004



 2021

 

We will never forget.

8 comments:

Terri D said...

I will never forget.

betty said...

It was horrific to hear about and see the pictures. I can't imagine "living" it like those in the area did. I'm sure so many lost friends, loved ones, coworkers, etc. Hard to process it all, I am sure!

I will never forget!

betty

Susan said...

We have been watching all t he special too. I hope we can go someday. I was there in 2008 also watching the construction which was still at ground level.

Barb said...

Hi Cindy~ Just beautiful...we will never forget.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Thank you for this post. I have never been there, but my heart surely has. It is very hard to watch those stories and relive that day again. My husband's first cousin died in the tower that day. I just can't even begin to imagine what his last thoughts were. I pray he knew Jesus. I really don't know because we never got to see him as an adult. But I pray that he did, because there was no time to think about it when that tower was hit and collapsed. I do love the picture I've seen of Jesus standing up above the towers with His arms stretched wide, welcoming the souls into His bosom. I pray it was exactly so. Only God knows. No, we will never forget September 11, 2001.

ellen b. said...

We will never forget.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

That's an interesting point about them not wanting to visit when they lived through it. I will never forget. I was there in 2016.

Doris said...

I have yet to visit the memorial but really want to. Thanks for sharing this.