Experiencing the 13th Anniversary of 9/11 in NYC
It is extremely easy for me to remember exactly how many years ago the tragedies of 9-11 happened. I laid in the hospital after just giving birth to our triplet sons a few days prior. The devastation has always honestly been too much for me to fathom, so I don’t think I have ever let myself feel it’s affects fully…… until yesterday.
We have spent the past few days in New York City celebrating our boys 13th birthday and soaking in the energy of this bustling city. We planned to be here for their special day and to stay through Sept. 11 so that we could pay our respects as a family on this 13th anniversary . The Museum is not open today, so we chose to go yesterday. It is a tough, tough place to visit. I found myself suppressing my feelings most of the time as I just wanted to fall to my knees and bawl. I went between feelings of deep anger and hatred, to pride and love for our country, as I walked through the Museum and Memorials.
I’ll be honest. It was difficult having the kids there. It was tough having to answer all of their questions while wanting to be alone with my own thoughts and feelings. I hate that this stuff even has to be explained to them. It’s so not right. I hate that they stood and watched videos of the terrorists going through security lines at our US airports and watched people jumping out of the burning buildings to their death. I hate the word hate, but I have to tell you it’s exactly what I was feeling when I was in the exhibit about al-Qaeda and the Terrorists. Sickening.
I also felt sad that I hadn’t been here until now. It almost felt like I was cheating and just coming when everything was nice and pretty again. I actually had gone up in the Twin Towers during a high school trip to NYC. It was very surreal seeing this area without them. You definitely need to get here, if you haven’t yet. It is powerful beyond words. This day will never feel the same to me after experiencing this in person.
May we never forget the victims and the heroes of 9-11. You will forever be a part of all of us and we lift you up in honor today.
Wow. Our family has yet to visit NYC, but what a great blog on such an appropriate day. I can’t believe it has been thirteen years already. Sometimes it is tough to make ourselves see something so difficult, but what a powerful way to feel a glimpse of what happened and how real it was for not only the families of victims, but our entire nation. Thanks for your blogs, we enjoy them as we are a traveling family with kids the exact same age! We wish you safe and happy travels!