9 eleven - 10 years

We visited NY about 3 years ago and went to Ground Zero. It was just a huge construction site. A very sobering construction site. Across the street there was this little church tucked away from the busy street. Herein lies the real memorial to 9-11. This little church housed the many volunteer firefighters and medical personel who worked so bravely and tirelessly to help save lives and recover bodies. Amazingly, only one window was damaged during the whole ordeal of the towers collapsing. Visiting this church was an amazing experience.

As I said, the area of the twin towers was a huge construction site. There was a large pedestrian walkway across it with signs like these hanging from the rafters. I took a picture of this one - Reflecting Absence - because it was was powerful to me.
I thought of not just the absence of two very large buildings, but the absence of so many ordinary people who died that day in such a senseless and selfish act of violence. I'm certain their loved ones miss them terribly. I also thought of the absence of feeling safe and secure as a nation, now realizing that we are vulnerable.

Today its been 10 years since that calamity. When things like this happen, it seems people always remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard the news. I do. For example, I remember watching the first space shuttle launch in the library at my elementary school, I remember when the Gulf War broke out that I was in the basement of the Widstoe building in a science lab at BYU. Today I remember that when the twin towers collapsed I had just taken Jared to preschool at Mrs. Shauna's. When I got home, Mark called from work to let me know he was OK and to tell me what had happened. I watched the TV for awhile -- those images are burned in my memory. Jared even has a faint memory of that day. I just thought it was interesting that 10 years later I am now taking Matthew to preschool at Mrs. Shauna's... while giving my older children a history lesson.