9/11 Memorial
Today we had tickets to the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. We had to go through airport-like security checks before being let through.
I didn't know what to expect. Last time I was here, they were still tearing down all the buildings. But I was blown away.
I remember the debate about what should be done with Ground Zero. Should they rebuild the towers? Make them taller? Build something else entirely or make it into a memorial? At first I felt like I wanted them to rebuild the Towers or build something to show that the terrorists didn't win, that they couldn't break us.
I think what they did was so much better.
In the footprint of the Twin Towers are two pools with 30 foot waterfalls around the entire perimeter. It is surreal to look down and see the spot where the Towers once stood.
In the middle of the pool is a black void where all the water drains. It was so eerie to see how still the water in the pool was, then to watch it be sucked down into this massive hole to the depths of who knows where. It was almost as if part of myself were being sucked down with it.
I thought of us Americans and especially those personally affected by the attacks. About the void in our lives, what was taken away and the holes we have that will never be filled.
It's very fitting that around the railing there is about a 3 foot ledge inscribed with all the people who lost their lives that day. The passengers in the airplanes, the pentagon employees, the 1st responders to the attacks and of course, those that were in the World Trade Centers.
This was such a touching memorial. It showed that yes, the terror attacks did affect us. It doesn't make us weak to acknowledge the fact.
It shows that out of the ashes of our tragedy we can rebuild. We can get up, mourn our innocent dead and continue to live, stronger for what we have been through, and cherish what we have while never forgetting what we lost.
The Freedom Tower being built in the shadow of where the Twin Towers once stood.
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