Remembering New York.

When September 11th became a day we'd never forget, I had yet to be to New York. I could tell you exactly what I was doing the moment we heard the news of tragedy hitting that city years ago. And I'm sure you could too. Just as generations before can tell us exactly where they were the minute they heard that Kennedy was shot. Or the day Pearl Habor was struck. How much tragedy there is in this nation's history, yet how much strength and community we have when the events we wish never occurred happen. 

This past January, we went to New York City. My very first time in the Big Apple. And, boy, how I loved the fast paced culture, the late night meals, and the tight knit streets that create a graph paper like grid on the maps we learned to walk everywhere with. New York City, and that trip, is one I will never forget. And so, today, as we remember what the words "nine eleven" elect in our senses and deep down in our hearts, I want to close my eyes and never forget this place, the community I experienced, and the strength of our nation. 

We spent time at the 9/11 Memorial when we were there. It's unreal to stand where the Twin Towers used to be, even my first time in New York, so I can't even imagine what it is like for someone who knew this place inside and out before the towers were hit. To lose such a big part of a city, to lose so many people who made this community what it was, and is - I cannot fully fathom. The owner of the hotel we stayed at told us how he remembers standing on the roof and watching that very day. I'd imagine people all over the city were doing this, if they weren't right in the tragedy themselves. Tears streaming down their faces, hearts in their stomachs, watching from rooftops and windows. 

The people that were lost at this very spot, although I don't know the faces behind the names and the moments that made up each and every one of their lives, were so loved. They are remembered beautifully at the 9/11 Memorial - if you ever are in New York, the Memorial is so worth making time for. Today I am thinking of those who lost someone that day, and praying for the families and the city. 

(more from our New York trip back in January here: Coney Island, Brooklyn to Manhattan, Williamsburg Flea, Grand Central Station, House of Small Wonder, Ace Hotel)