September 11: Remembered

My first photo of One World Trade, taken from the historic St. Paul's Chapel graveyard - April 2015

Since I have been visiting NYC more often and have been learning and observing how the buildings destroyed in those horrific attacks (now 17 years ago!) have slowly been rebuilt, I like to focus on the positive changes that have come to the World Trade Center area since that awful day. Every time I visit lower Manhattan there is some new building, business, bar or botanical feature to marvel at. I observed it all from 101 floors up less than a year ago! And it is all more beautiful than it was before.

It took a long time for the space to be rebuilt--and I read that full occupancy has been slow to be achieved in some of the structures. But in my humble opinion, good things are happening.

But on this day, I took some time to look at some new dramatic photos of "the morning that changed everything," photos taken while I slept through the initial attacks, having arrived home late (on an American airplane) from Orlando the night before. I sat stunned and transfixed in front of the television for the rest of the day. Like the day Kennedy was shot, it is a day that is fixed in my memory.

Remembering the horror changes nothing for me personally. It does nothing to bring anyone back, including those who have died since, from exposure to the toxic fumes.

I have nothing profound to add to all that has been said and memorialized.

On my next visit to lower Manhattan, however, I would very much like to take the time to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

I will never forget...