September 11th, 2015

September 11th is still a hard day to get through. I was still living in Brooklyn at the time less than a mile from Ground Zero. It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky that was that amazing blue rich color that hopes are made of.

I will skip the part of what I experienced that day as they are memories I don't care to relive and will just say that the beautiful day was quickly shrouded in ash.

Instead, what I would like to share, is how it brought the city together. The humanity experienced after September 11th I will never forget. In a city that when I moved there, I was given the advice to "never look anyone in the eye that you don't know", people where connecting in a way I never experienced. Everyone from all walks of life would look at each other in the eye with a silent confirmation that we were okay. That we survived. And with others a brief conversation if their friends and loved ones were okay. 

There were many stories of people that were supposed to be in the towers that day. A father of a friend of mine had a dentist appointment that day. A friend of another decided to take his kids to school that day. Those that avoided the tragedy that day I am grateful for.

My heart still goes out to anyone who lost a family member, a friend, a co-worker. Buildings and lives are being rebuilt, however, it is a day that won't be forgotten. The Twin Towers, who ironically looked liked "II", are gone forever. My hope for humanity lives on.