Every year, when 9/11 arrives yet again, a whirl of emotions fill me and I begin to mentally prepare myself for the countless images of flaming towers and chaos. On September 11, 2001 I was watching the TV dumbfounded as events unfolded just a few miles away. When the last tower dropped, I was suddenly plunged into a world of silence as the TV reception and cell service failed simultaneously. I began the long wait to hear from my husband who was attending class in Brooklyn that morning. The semester had just begun and I wasn’t sure when his classes began… and he frequented the area surrounding the World Trade Center (WTC).
Seeing the photos of the towers burning also brings back the incredible stench them burning for a month and the heavily armored military presence in the city that appeared over night, on every bridge, in every subway station and seemingly on every street corner.
BUT
There always in a “but”, isn’t there?
I could have chosen a path of fear or anger, but instead, I choose hope. (It’s often a daily choice.) The profound effect on 9/11 on my life is very hard for me to articulate, almost impossible, but these photos help to show my perspective.
