September 11th

Symbol of Hope- 2005

There are no real words for how I feel today.  Its hard to believe that one event, nine years ago, changed this country forever.  Everyone remembers where they were on that morning.  Everyone remembers the feelings of fear, loss, hopelessness and defenseless because of this day nine years ago.  For me, I was a junior in high school in a little town in Montana.  I remember waking up that morning, coming upstairs just as the North Tower was struck.  At that point, no one was sure if it was an accident or on purpose.  As the hours of that day unfolded, it was all to clear the motive of what was happening.  Every hour something equally horrific happen and by the end of the day, everything seemed like a bad dream.

Four years later, I moved to New York to spend a semester of my junior year of college at one of our sister schools in Bronxville NY (14 miles outside of the city).  I remember sitting in my psychology class and our teacher asked how many students lived within 20 miles of NYC on 9-11-2001.  The entire class raised their hands except myself and Raynelle (a friend and fellow student from Portland also spending a semester at Bronxville).  Everyone in that class had a story... some losing friends or family members.  That next day, Raynelle and I made our way into the city to attend the Remembrance Ceremony at Ground Zero.  The train ride into the city was quite.  The walk to Times Square- silent.  The subway downtown, eerie and emotion-filled.  Upon reach Ground Zero, there were police officers on every corner.  Every half block there were fire trucks parked, police barricades and thousands of people walking in silence.   There were no cars, no taxis honking, no one was talking.  New York is not a silent city.

Construction 2007

A gift from France that used to stand in
the plaza between the towers- now stands
in Battery Park

Standing at Ground Zero on that day provided invaluable life perspective.  The sacrifice that was made by hundreds of FDNY and NYPD, along with every day civilians conveys the story of this Nation and its unbelievable strength and selflessness.  Standing on the edge of the construction site, peering through the fence at the destruction caused on that day demonstrated how important it is to stand up again and rebuild. At the time each of the towers were hit and when they fell, there was a moment of silence and the ringing of a bell.  That bell echoed eerily throughout Lower Manhattan... wrapping around the still-standing buildings reminding us all of those lost that day.  Hearing the names of those lost being read off by family members, firemen, police offerers and other prominent New Yorkers demonstrated just how many sacrifices were made that day.

Then, two years later I moved back to New York, this time living in Manhattan.  I made several trips to Ground Zero while I lived there and each time, the rush of emotions resurfaced.  I remember taking one my friends who was visiting from Germany to Ground Zero and to watch her reaction to the very noticeable hole in the skyline of Lower Manhattan, made me realize how badly this day affected the world.

This year, for the first time, people gathered amid signs of rebirth rising from the ashes. Next year, on the tenth anniversary, Ground Zero will stand tall and proud resembling a Nation that cannot be defeated.  Though I am not one to be overly patriotic, I am proud to be a member of this strong Nation and will always remember the selfless sacrifices of thousands of Americans on this fateful day.

Construction 2005