Serendipity Soiree:paperie. event styling. design: Remembering 9/11...

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembering 9/11...

I was on my commute to work, many many miles away from New York City. Like so many countless others, I remember that morning like it was yesterday...I think there can't be a person in the world who does not remember hearing that news and exactly what they were doing and how they felt. There was a silence over the air and the news anchor began to tell of a plane that hit the world trade center. At first like many I thought "oh someone flying a personal plane or a small jet must have lost control". But then as the morning rolled on the story unfolded into much more than anyone could have ever fathomed. I think the world stood still that day. Everyone in the office remained glued to a computer monitor and listened to the news of the devastation. We were miles away yet for weeks and weeks we were compelled to follow, cry and feel the deep pain along with the families who had their loved ones lost or missing... to the tragic events that had happened that fateful day.

As the weeks rolled on we began to hear of amazing stories of bravery, the fire fighters and complete strangers who risked themselves to save another. In another corner of the globe....planes heading for NYC were diverted to a little island on the east coast known as "Newfoundland". Where I was born. :) I knew the stranded could not have landed in a more perfect place, as I knew they would be welcomed with open arms and treated as family even if they had never met. Proudly 3000kms away I listened to stories of how my fellow Newfoundlanders opened up their homes to the stranded, fed them, clothed them and indeed made them a part of their families. :) 9/11 brought a nation and the world together. It showed us exactly how vulnerable we are to terrorists and it also showed us how we can all come together and rise above it!

As you may have read in previous post of mine, that NYC has a very special place in my heart....since I was a child I was in awe of Lady Liberty, hence I named my little girl "Liberty", and it felt right to call her that after 9/11. It meant so much more. Lady Liberty a beacon of light for the many immigrants who caught a first glimpse of her the moment they came to New York. A symbol of Freedom for so many and to the world. Here she remains, untouched by the devastation that was 9/11 and still today a symbol of freedom.

Shortly after 9/11 my husband and I felt compelled to travel to New York. So, just before Christmas we did just that. It was my first ever visit to New York City. Nothing prepared us for what we saw, heard and felt. It was a feeling I will never forget. The families at the site of the World trade center yearning for their loved ones, laying wreaths, pictures and flowers. It was heart wrenching. I would like to share with you a few pictures I took of that visit. For me I will never forget the images of New York at that time. It takes just a glimpse at my own Lady Liberty and I am reminded of New York, the people, the loss and devastation...but it also reminds me of the bravery, triumph, togetherness...and like the namesake "Liberty"...the Freedom that we all share today still...thanks to sacrifices made by so many to fight terrorists and people trying to take our Freedom away. September 11th will never be forgotten.

If you have never visited New York city, you are truly missing out, as New Yorkers are some of the most beautiful, welcoming and friendly people I have ever met. :) I continue to visit New York to this day and it is my favorite city in the world. When my children were old enough to "remember" I brought them there with my sister Dorothy "dort". It was a surreal trip to return and walk by the site and when "Liberty" met "Liberty". :) A trip back this year will be in order with the whole family.

"Imagine all the people sharing life in peace" "You, you may say I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope some day you will join us, and the world will be as one" - John Lennon