Remembering 9/11

I know I told y'all that Mum was on a trip.  Well, she went to New York City.  On her last day there, her friend took her to the 9/11 Memorial Site.  She said that she instantly got chills, that it was as if the place itself held residual energy of the event and all of the emotions of everyone in that place - just radiating in the air.  She was also struck by the sheer number of people there paying tribute - people who spoke different languages, old people, young people, people of color, Christians, Muslims - everyone - all Americans, together.  Paying tribute and mourning together. These are some of the pictures she took.

This is one of the two reflecting pools that exist in the foot print of each of the Twin Towers.  There is water that flows down the sides to the middle and then flows down deeper inside down the middle of the pool.  Mum read that the water falls 30 feet down, and that the pools qualify as the largest water falls of their kind in the US.

Around the edge of each reflecting pool are the names of all of the victims of the attack.  The planners of the Memorial took great care in honoring families' requests of grouping people together, etc.  Mum began to cry when she saw a woman's name followed by "and her unborn child".  When it is a person's birthday, a white rose is placed in their name to honor them.  It broke Mum's heart that there were some victims that never even got to have a birthday.

This is the new One World Tower.  It stands 1,776 feet tall (not by accident).  Mum and her friend went up to the observation deck and it was very amazing.

Engine House 10 stands catty-corner from the Memorial site.  This was the fire station that was home to some of the First Responders on the scene.  This poster is on the side of Engine House 10 and is a picture of all of the First Responders that lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.

This plaque is next to the above picture on the side of Engine House 10 and is a tribute to those who died.  You can see in the pictures some of the small memorials and tokens that were left.  Mum wonders what it looks like today, and imagines that there are many more tributes left on that ledge.

When Mum found out she was going to NYC she was most excited to see the towers of light from the Memorial in the night sky.  However, her friend told her that the towers of light are only lit on the night of September 11th, that they are not on year-round.  BUT, when Mum and her friend rode the Staten Island Ferry, they looked up and the towers were lit!  Her friend later read that they were on as a test to make sure they worked properly for the Anniversary.  She was delighted, and knew she was meant to be there in that moment.