10 years later

Today is September 11th, 2011. Ten years ago today our country was attacked by terrorists and we lost over 3,000 innocent victims in a horrific tragedy. We all remember where we were and what we were doing. I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade. I remember finding out at an all-school morning meeting. I remember leaving the meeting and going to class and having a moment with our teacher to ask questions. I can't say that I fully absorbed what had happened that day or even years after. It wasn't until I became an adult who had experienced life and death and just had more experience in general that I could even begin to comprehend. Last year, only days before I moved to New York City myself, I watched endless documentaries with so much footage and personal stories from that day. It finally made sense. It finally felt real and the tragedy struck at a deeper level. One year later, after living in the city and becoming an honorary New Yorker, the emotions are even stronger.

I returned to the city this weekend for my a going away party/ birthday bash after moving out a week ago. With all of the terror alerts on high, I was strongly recommended by family and friends to avoid the city. I considered not going, but after my year in this city, I felt so connected and wanted to be there for the anniversary. I can now say how happy I am that I had the opportunity to be a part of it. I somehow came across the FDNY Memorial Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. There were hundreds and hundreds of firefighters from all over the world in full uniform there to celebrate and memorialize their fallen brothers. Of course it was not open to the public but we were able to watch outside on a jumbo-tron and so much actually happened outside of the cathedral as well. 343 uniformed firefighters marched into the church holding American flags to represent each individual firefighter lost that fateful day. Other uniformed firefighters lined 5th avenue, single file, saluting the flags as they entered the church.  The mass included a speech by Mayor Bloomberg and by a nine year old boy who was born 6 weeks after his father passed away. He spoke as if he was speaking to his father, telling him about how he has become a baseball player just like him. That was the one that got me. At the end of the mass, the flagged firefighters exited the church. They then marched down 5th avenue guided by a group of bagpipers and drummers and followed by endless amounts firefighters marching in honor of their fallen brothers. It was beyond moving and I am so happy I had the opportunity to experience it. Ten years ago, I think I was protected by my innocence and ignorance. Now that I can grasp what happened, I am baffled by what happened that day. You don't think something like that can even happen in a country like ours that feels so strong and protected, but we were brought to our knees. They hit us and they hit us hard. They got us when we least expected it and we lost so much including thousands of innocent lives. But we weren't knocked down to stay down. We got back up and we showed our strength and ability to come together and rebuild. I have to say that the World Trade Center memorial is absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to have the opportunity to pay my respects there when I return. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to live in such a strong city with an amazing history of strength and hope. Never forget. Please watch the film I put together from that memorial mass at the bottom of the blog. If you can't see it here, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G4Myj-IPRo