September 11

As I am listening to the names of the victims of 9-11 being read in NYC, it is a beautiful day here in NJ, as it was 9 years ago on this tragic day. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. I was working on a fall cleaning project, and for once, did not have the morning news on. My Mom called to casually ask me if my husband was traveling or in the office. After I let her know that he was in fact in the office, she asked me to put the news on. I assured her that this must have been a horrible accident until we watched the second plane advancing. I personally did not know any of the victims, but there were people in our area who were victims that day. I think everyone heard about a friend of a friend on that day. As we continued to watch the news, we watched the horrific events unfolding at the Pentagon and in Shenksville, PA. Our church had a special prayer service that evening that we felt compelled to participate in. Everyone was searching for a way to help.

New York became a shell of its vibrant self after that tragic day. The once bustling theatre district restaurants were basically deserted. The sign posts and light posts were covered with photographs of missing persons. Walking the streets, you could not help but stop and read the pleas. Our anniversary was approaching and we had a weekend planned in NYC about 2 weeks after 9-11. After much thought, we decided to cancel our room, but just go in to see our play. This turned out to be a moving, uplifting experience aside from the play itself. After the actors took their bows, they tearfully spoke to us, the audience, with emotion and pain for the victims of 9-11. We all shared in their tears as we shared a moment of silence and prayer.

New York is bustling again and the fun, vibrant city it is meant to be. People are visiting the city and the streets are crowded. That does not mean that everyone has forgotten. A visit to Ground Zero puts everything back in perspective again.

Our thoughts and prayers.