<p>I do believe in the ties that bind our hearts and I am feel connected to so many of you, even though I have not met many of you IRL. I also know that God brings people in your life for a season and a reason. I thank you for so graciously sharing your stories and lives with me over the years. </p>
<p>Whether it is events like the WTC, Katrina, Irene, cancer, loss of spouses, etc., through your strength you have held me up and shown me how to stay strong. You have provided me with many life lessons and teachable moments. You have reminded me to take a breath and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Most importantly you remind me that while “Weeping may endure for a night, Joy will come in the morning.” I look forward to many mornings with you.</p>
<p>Ken,
You remind me of how small the world truly is. I am a former Tribeca person. My daughter attended the elementary school down the block from you and I sat on the new school committee for the elementary/middle school across the street. I attended your one of rival high school (Engineers). While we lost some of our Engineer grads on 9/11, we take solace in the fact that we have classmates working on the rebuilding.</p>
<p>sybbie, Thank you for your beautiful posts.
ken, the Memorial is very inspiring and could not have been more well done- I’m sure it will provide (and already is providing today) comfort to the families and to all those who will have the privilege of visiting it. You and all those who have been involved in the memorial should be very proud.
The memories of so many lost on that terrible day are continuing to be kept alive. A friend and high school classmate of my husband died on 9/11. His class has sponsored a tournament and scholarship in his name ever since. I know the town in another state where he settled also has an annual event in his name. He was one of the good guys.</p>
<p>Thank you for the very personal stories. I watched the film from that day again this morning; still seems surreal, not so, for those who saw it IRL. </p>
<p>Our church service was very meaningful today, a general prayer for peace.</p>
Of course we live great lives here, but that was not the point. I am very well traveled, but I am also aware that prior to 9/11 the USA enjoyed an incredible track record of domestic tranquility (with respect to things like terrorism and war on our own soil).</p>
<p>Sybbie, I managed to hold it together as I read your story, with tears only pooling in my eyes. And then I read:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>…and then they spilled over into sobs. God bless you! I’m so glad you’re still with us when so many others perished. I’m sure there are even many who survived the first WTC bombing, but succumbed in the second attack. I can’t fathom how this has undoubtedly changed you.</p>
<p>How very true that must be! Whenever I watch a documentary on the Nazi death camps, I am stunned afresh by the breadth and scale of which abject evil is capable. Those of us who’ve never had the Holocaust directly touch our lives have the luxury of tucking it away in the recesses of our minds as a relic of anomalous history, forgetting that it’s only one of many epochs of staggering atrocity, forgetting that mankind is still just as capable of imposing a zeitgeist that evil is an acceptable form of social conduct. I know 9/11 doesn’t even come close to rivaling human destruction on the scale of The Third Reich, Stalinist Russia, or the Khmer Rough, but it’s our fresh and recent nighmare. For you, I know, it only confirmed what you’ve always known about the world, and that causes me immeasurable sadness.</p>
<p>I know many of the family members who attended the ceremony today. I hope that the beautiful memorial fountains will soothe them. I can’t think of a more beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives that day. As sad as the remembrances are, and I shed many tears today, I am buoyed by the many tales of friendship, love, and compassion that were a part of that awful day ten years ago and which have endured since then. </p>
<p>One example is the welcome exhibited when more than two hundred U.S. bound flights were diverted to Canadian airports that day. I thought some of you might like to read this article about the ceremonies across Canada to commemorate that day:</p>
<p>I remember being so touched by the stories of the communities that cared for those stranded. I believe that the passengers on one of the flights started a scholarship for students from Gander. (to tie it into CC)</p>
<p>Oh Sybbie. You have such a right to your feelings. And my experience of you has added to my feelings that life is good. Sending hugs and kisses.</p>
<p>Even when I was watching it, in the back of mind I was thinking about happy ending, everyone making it out ok, husband hugging wife, mom seeing her son. But there was no happy ending, even thought they saved 20K people that day.</p>
<p>Something that is often overlooked, but should be remembered is that this day could’ve been a lot worse… Lots of people made it out of the WTC before it collapsed, likely thousands and thousands. Tens, if not hundreds were likely saved at the Pentagon. Potentially thousands were saved when the passengers on Flight 93 forced it down in PA before it got to DC. Just everyday people doing what they could to help.</p>
<p>I was reminded today about the boatlift, which evacuated hundreds of thousands of people out of lower Manhattan. Tugboats, private boats, diving boats, party ships – all came running at the call of the Coast Guard. No plan, just more ordinary people bringing what they had to the effort.</p>
<p>Thank you once again to our Canadian friends! You the best neighbors a country could ask for. Not only did you accept hundreds of diverted flights, but you played gracious host to the stranded passengers for days. And 100,000 of you gathered on the lawn of Parlaiment Hill that Friday to share our national day of mourning. It helped to know that you stood with us.</p>
<p>LasMa, I mentioned the documentary Boatlift (narrated by Tom Hanks) in post 203- it is about what you are talking about. It is on Youtube and is about 12 minutes long(and I believe fairly recently released). It is well worth the time to take a look. Very inspiring.
P.S. God Bless America.</p>