Reflection
What a gorgeous day it was here in NYC yesterday - crystal blue skies and sun shining. Unfortunately, it only served to further remind me of what happened here 9 years ago - that Tuesday morning in 2001 started out beautifully with clear skies and the warmth of the sun shining down on many as they walked to work on a lovely late summer/early fall day. Of course, we all know how that day was shattered by planes, collapsing buildings and a horrific loss of life. Our sense of security was also shattered.
I did not write a post dedicated to September 11th yesterday - somehow, I could not find words to adequately express what I had to say. I did, however, read some excellent posts on the topic (from fellow book bloggers and authors) and wanted to share them with you here:
Author Meg Cabot wrote about her experiences on September 11th while living in NYC - her descriptions of what she saw and felt brought me back to that day and her observations about the manicurists offering flip flops to those walking from Ground Zero capture what is at once bizarre and wonderful about NYCAuthor Matthew Dicks wrote about his experience on September 11th as a third grade teacher - his observations about the innocence of those children while he kept them insulated from the horror of what was happening in the world outside the school and his realization that they would be forever changed upon leaving school and learning what had happened that day was very powerful. I had not considered the role of teachers in shepherding our children through such tragedies and realize, again, what an important job they hold.
Carin of Caroline Bookbinder recounted her experiences in NYC on September 11th; like Meg's, her descriptions of that day were so close to my own that I could see everything happening so vividly.
Alison's of Alison's Bookmark's post was the most poignant and reminded me what is so important about this day of remembrance - she wrote a tribute to her brother in law who perished at the WTC on September 11th. Remembering the horror that transpired on that day is important - we should not forget - but what is most important is remembering and paying tribute to those that lost their lives and the families they left behind.
It still gives me chills...how I first learned of what happened (I'm in California), and how in the subsequent days, everything felt hollow and surreal.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to click on your links to read the various posts.
Thanks for sharing....
Here's my salon:
http://accidentalmoments.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/the-sunday-salon-sept-12/
9/11 was a day that changed us all. Thanks for sharing these posts. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI didn't live in New York at the time but I live here now and I'm constantly amazed my this city's resilience and strength. Thanks for having a post to remember those that died.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marie, that day changed every single American.
ReplyDeletereading about 9-11 still brings tears to my eyes. thanks for gathering all those posts together!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this. I thought the same thing nine years ago, that it was unreal that something so horrible could happen on such a gorgeous day. My parents still live in Manhattan. My brother saw the smoking tower on the way to work. My cousin used to work across the street. A friend from high school died, leaving behind four children. Even without personal connections, this tragedy touched us all.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking to these posts - I missed them the first time around. 9/11 is such a hard day to remember, but it's so important. I just got to writing about it today, but it feels inadequate.
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