Kathy and I are in New York City, and after seven visits there since 2001 it has grown remarkably familiar to us. Not that we have even scratched the surface in terms of all that it contains and offers- but it’s no longer the overwhelming and intimidating place that it once was. We know NYC- and in more ways than one we truly love it.
That’s one reason why we were so glad that our time in NYC with the Tremper High School choir began with a visit to the new 9-11 Memorial on the site where the World Trade Center Towers once stood. It was a way to pay homage to this incredible city and its citizens . . . and perhaps to gain a little perspective on what really matters. After all, there are all kinds of things that can go wrong on a trip like this- all kinds of minor disappointments and frustrations that can accumulate to the point where they swallow up the fun and excitement. But to reflect even momentarily on the heartache and loss of 9-11 is to see how monumental our blessings are and how trivial our complaints really are.
The 9-11 memorial itself is still under construction but is already quite impressive…. albeit in a very dignified, almost understated way. There are two immense fountains exactly where the two towers once stood, and rimming each of them is a listing of names of those who were killed. According to the brochure, the names are placed where they are according to blended adjacencies- that is, a given person’s name might be placed amidst the names of their fellow workers also killed- or with a family member’s name- or according to where they were in the towers when they were killed. It was up to the family of each victim to make that ultimate choice. It underscored the complex web of relationships represented amongst the nearly 4,000 people killed that day. Of course, it also moving to see such an amazing array of cultures represented in those names….. and heartbreaking to see here and there a name followed by the words “and unborn child.”
From the memorial, we proceeded to the Tribute Center across the street, where there is a very poignant exhibit of items recovered from the Twin Towers…. a menu from the famous Top Of The World restaurant ….. a gun almost completely melted …… a fireman’s uniform and helmet ….. and even a small stuffed lamb that must have belonged to a child. And among the exhibits was an audio exhibit in which, at the touch of a button, you could hear recordings of some of the radio dispatches between firefighters that day. For some of us, it was a very powerful reminder of what happened that day. But for students like the ones we were with, they were only youngsters (some of them not even in kindergarten yet) when the 9-11 attack occurred. So for them, this was not a moment of remembrance and revisiting but rather an introduction to the events of 9-11. On some level, of course, they all knew what happened on that day – but now they really know on a much more profound level, and especially know something more about the pain suffered that day and thereafter. They walked through both the memorial and the tribute center so seriously and reflectively . . . and I know that my own tears were by no means the only tears shed. ,
One more thing worth acknowledging is that in neither the 9-11 memorial nor the Tribute Center is there the faintest whiff of gung-ho, red-white-and-blue, rah-rah-America, overbearing patriotism. Instead, they are somber, austere memorials designed to be welcoming and respectful to peace-loving people from any country – and a subtle reminder that while it may have been America that was most directly attacked that day, it was a blow felt all over the world. . . and that it will take all of the resolve and unity and courage we can muster to make this world a better place.
pictured above: 343 firefighters lost their lives on 9-11, and this was the uniform of just one of them. I can’t begin to put into words how moving it was to see this uniform and to think of the brave firefighter who once wore it as he tried to save the lives of others.