{9/11}

"Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”

- President George W. Bush September 11, 2001.

last year i posted {this} about 9/11.  lisa and i had recently visited NY and went to "ground zero".  i explained in the post how eerie it was to be there.  there have been a lot of documenteries on tv these past few weeks.  i have to watch them.  even if i've seen them.  i can't change the channel.  can't look away. 

"Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat." -

-George W. Bush, President of the United States.

this year lisa and i watched one called "the falling man".  omg.  omg.  omg.  to hear the stories of these people who died.  these people who had the courage to jump from the building and be in charge of their own destiny.  these brave people who wouldn't die in the tower like other people had planned for them.  to hear this man's wife recall their last phone call.  omg. 

"The city is going to survive, we are going to get through it, it’s going to be very, very difficult time. I don't think we yet know the pain that we're going to feel when we find out who we lost, but the thing we have to focus on now is getting this city through this, and surviving and being stronger for it."

 - Rudolph Giuliani

i've always described myself as a patriotic person.  i can't sit through taps, a fly over, the anthem, or even the fourth of july parade without welling up in tears.  it's always been that way.  i was the kid crying while marching in the parade.  out of pride.  pride in our country.  pride in my family members who served.  pride in the fact that i am an american.  to this day i salute our flag the way my papa taught me.  proudly.

"America will never run… And we will always be grateful that liberty has found such brave defenders."
- George W. Bush

i also posted {this} video last year.  go check it out.  and, always remember.

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."

-President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

{9/11/01}

do you remember where you where when the 9/11 attacks happened?

this question is asked so much.  and everybody's answer should be yes.  how could we not remember where we were?

i was sitting on our blue and white striped couch with my 2.5 year old son in my lap in our basement apartment on the phone with my mother when the second plane hit the North Tower.  i remember the light coming in the windows.  i remember trying to wake up my then husband to tell him what was going on.  i remember the fear that ran through me at that moment.  the immense sadness.  it overcomes me every. single. time. i see clips or read an article about that day. 

i remember being unsure of what was going to happen to us and our country.  i remember being scared about going to war.  i remember wanting to bomb the hell out of the people that did this to us.  i remember worrying about the innocent lives in the countries that "harbor terrorists".  i remember worrying about the innocent mothers and children that were going to lose their lives like so many americans had.  i remember thinking how awful these people must have been to not only kill so many of us, but in return kill so many of their own people. 

i worked at dunkin' donuts at the time.  i remember posters coming in with words of encouragement and support to the american citizens.  i remember hanging those posters with pride. 

i also remember being afraid after.  i am from plymouth, ma.  "america's hometown".  i remember thinking to myself the next Fourth of July, "how perfect would it be for them to attack us again...in america's hometown on america's birthday?"  thousands of people huddle into plymouth harbor for the fireworks.  i remember being afraid to go to those festivities for years.  i never forget, but finally enough time has passed that i am no longer afraid. 

i hope that our children and our children's children never have to live with these feelings.  these memories.  i hope that they never have to be afraid to celebrate the wonderful country they live in. 

here are some pics from "Ground Zero" from one month ago.  lisa and i took a trip to NY and this was a must visit place.  we simply walked through quickly.  there's not much to see right now.  everything is covered up for the rebuilding.  it doesn't matter that there's not much to see....it was the feelings that mattered.  it was very eerie being in the spot that it happened.  i'm sure, not as eerie as being there today.

this is what the pools look like. there will be two. one where each tower used to stand.

{witness to history: the photographers of 9/11}

"you don't need to remind me to remember because i will never forget".  Jen Lancaster {via Twitter}

here is a video i found about 9/11.  it is through the photographer's eyes that witnessed the event.  it's very interesting to see what they took pictures of and when the human instinct to run away happened.  photojournalism is so very important to the world.  because of these pictures people 10, 20, 30 years from now who may not have even been alive during this tragedy will remember.

the picture by thomas franklin is the most famous but the one by robert cummins.  omg.  terrifying.  beautiful.