For me and my family
September 11 was a reminder
that life is fleeting, impermanent
and uncertain.
Therefore, we must make use
of every moment and nurture it
with affection, tenderness,
beauty, creativity and laughter.
...Deepak Chopra
This photo was taken at 5pm on September 9, 2001, while leaving New York harbor on a New England cruise. The first stop was Nova Scotia, then to Bar Harbor Maine, Martha's Vineyard, Boston and more. This trip was planned in celebration my son's graduation from high school, his 18th birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary. We decided to go to New York a few days early to sightsee and watch the US Open Women's tennis finals at Flushing Meadows. On September 8, we had enjoyed most of the day at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. While walking back to our hotel my son wanted to stop by the Twin Towers and go up to the observation deck. However, we were running late for the tennis match and needed to catch the subway so I said "next time." Who knew that four days later, there would no longer be a next time. If you get the opportunity to do something, do not put it off.
What a devastating day that no one will forget. The loss of life was horrific at 2,977 souls. I feel a closer connection to those who lost their lives that day, being so near and on a ship full of people from New York and New Jersey instead of at home in California. We lived in a bubble on the ocean, isolated and numb from the news, though the ship stuck to our itinerary. The only change was that we could not disembark in New York because the port was being used as a temporary morgue so we sailed back to Boston for an extra day onboard and then had to take a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Newark Airport for a 5 1/2 hour plane ride home. If we had decided to take the cruise first and then sightsee in New York City, we could have been there or flying home from NYC to San Francisco on one of those hijacked flights. When we had the photos of our trip developed, it looked as if the twin towers were fading away in this one. This is not the original but has been edited for this post.
This tragedy is still unfolding. Researchers say there have been another 2,000 that have died due to 9/11 related illnesses in the last 17 years and more to come. Located in Sacramento, Cal Expo (state fair grounds) is home to the largest 9/11 Memorial in the Western states.
My husband and I did go back to New York in 2014. Dennis ran the New York Marathon and we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum. We also saw One World Trade Center, also know as, the Freedom Tower. I bought a sterling silver mobius bracelet at the museum inscribed "No day shall erase you from the memory of time." I wear it quite often and remember...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
http://calexpo.com/september-11-memorial-plaza/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip
