Sept. 11 - Remembered
Posted by: Denelle
Today marks the five year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon and throughout the country people are finding ways to remember what happened and pay tribute to those who lost their lives. It is hard to believe that is has actually been five years when it seems like it was only yesterday.
I wasn't a New Yorker five years ago. In fact, I was living on the other side of the country in Los Angeles. Had I been living here and working at my current job I would have been able to see the towers fall from the windows on the south side of our building. Had I been living in my current apartment my fire escape, car and the streets I walk down would have been littered with ash and bits of paper that had blown across the East River and settled across Brooklyn.
Most of the time - like most New Yorkers - I never stop to consider the possible dangers of living in a major city. Or more specifically the terrorist threats that come with living in such a place. What few people realize is that while the rest of the country has returned to a semblance of normalcy regarding terrorist threats, New York's terror alert level has remained at orange since Sept. 11, 2001. Increased security measures and a heavy police presence are common place and the city flows on around them. Adjusting as necessary when potential threats arise but still going on with the daily routine of living.
Yet there are moments when the reality of 9/11 creeps in. Each time I pass the WTC site I am struck by the sense of reverence that seems to surround that barren 16 acres. Maybe it's heightened by the Deutsche Bank building, that draped in black now looms over the empty pit, being taken apart piece by piece because of the damage it sustained when the Towers fell. Maybe it's simply knowing that there were hundreds of people whose remains were never recovered from the site. Whatever the cause, it immediately triggers a well of emotions in me, including, appreciation - that the devastation wasn't greater given the proximity of everything in that area and awe - that in total chaos people banded together to help each other survive. It really drives home the reality that we either sink or swim together.
But on a day like today everyone takes a moment to stop and consider exactly what happened five years ago and the very real possibility that it could happen again. And as we remember the 2752 people who died in NYC five years ago I am reminded of exactly how grateful I am for the protective hand of the Lord.
Be sure to check out 90&9's new home at www.ninetyandnine.net. The layout is awesome and I can't wait to see what exciting new features have been added.
Today marks the five year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon and throughout the country people are finding ways to remember what happened and pay tribute to those who lost their lives. It is hard to believe that is has actually been five years when it seems like it was only yesterday.
I wasn't a New Yorker five years ago. In fact, I was living on the other side of the country in Los Angeles. Had I been living here and working at my current job I would have been able to see the towers fall from the windows on the south side of our building. Had I been living in my current apartment my fire escape, car and the streets I walk down would have been littered with ash and bits of paper that had blown across the East River and settled across Brooklyn.
Most of the time - like most New Yorkers - I never stop to consider the possible dangers of living in a major city. Or more specifically the terrorist threats that come with living in such a place. What few people realize is that while the rest of the country has returned to a semblance of normalcy regarding terrorist threats, New York's terror alert level has remained at orange since Sept. 11, 2001. Increased security measures and a heavy police presence are common place and the city flows on around them. Adjusting as necessary when potential threats arise but still going on with the daily routine of living.
Yet there are moments when the reality of 9/11 creeps in. Each time I pass the WTC site I am struck by the sense of reverence that seems to surround that barren 16 acres. Maybe it's heightened by the Deutsche Bank building, that draped in black now looms over the empty pit, being taken apart piece by piece because of the damage it sustained when the Towers fell. Maybe it's simply knowing that there were hundreds of people whose remains were never recovered from the site. Whatever the cause, it immediately triggers a well of emotions in me, including, appreciation - that the devastation wasn't greater given the proximity of everything in that area and awe - that in total chaos people banded together to help each other survive. It really drives home the reality that we either sink or swim together.
But on a day like today everyone takes a moment to stop and consider exactly what happened five years ago and the very real possibility that it could happen again. And as we remember the 2752 people who died in NYC five years ago I am reminded of exactly how grateful I am for the protective hand of the Lord.
Be sure to check out 90&9's new home at www.ninetyandnine.net. The layout is awesome and I can't wait to see what exciting new features have been added.
