Memory

Memory is a strange thing.  I find that as I get older, certain things drift out of my brain while others are in there but covered in layers of cobwebs.  Still other memories or brief moments in time are available for immediate recall.  I don’t know what it is or how it works.  I do know that some memories are accompanied by actual feelings and smells and are so detailed, they will never go away.  That is how my memory of 9/11/2001 is.  I remember details, smells, feelings, sounds, textures and moment by moment narration of that day. I am sure some memories are lost but that day is forever etched in my brain.

No need to go into all that and rehash those details.  I am sure I will remember them forever but yesterday I shared some memories on Facebook that truly matter and I will cut and paste that right here for posterity.  I got something in both my eyes while I was writing yesterday.  As the tears squeaked out, I realized that 15 years later the heroism and compassion that rose to the surface of our society, is still there.  I have great hope for humanity.

Here it is.  Thanks for indulging me.

Here’s what I will Never Forget. Crowds of people, blocks long, lined up to give blood. Every race and religion, united in service to their fellow humans. I remember an endless sea of flashing lights on the Long Island Expressway. Volunteer firemen from Long Island, ready to give anything to help their FDNY and NYPD Brothers. I remember Nurses and Doctors from all over the region, heading to NYC to help triage the wounded that never came. I remember the story of the Asian man who spoke no English but herded people, friends of mine, into his store to hide from the evil cloud of Death that enveloped Downtown as the Towers fell. I will never forget the hushed tones and erie silence in the days following. People being kind and compassionate to each other and going about their business with reverence and silent fortitude. I remember Hard Men giving their lives to work on the Pile. I remember Leaders who put aside politics, if only for a short time, to make sure our City was going to be Ok. I remember Americans with no other descriptor in front of that name, coming together and lifting up those in need, physically, mentally and emotionally. I remember New Yorkers proving to the World why New York is the Greatest city, in the Greatest country in the World. That’s what I remember and will Never Forget.

 

Here is a link to a video that is everything good in the World.:

9/11 Boat Lift NYC

11 Sep 2001 — This series of photographs shows hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 as it approaches (upper L) and impacts the World Trade Center’s south tower (L), bursting into flames and raining a hail of debris on lower Manhattan September 11, 2001. A gaping hole in the north tower (R) can be seen following a similar attack earlier in the day. Three hijacked planes crashed into major U.S. landmarks September 11, destroying both of New York’s mighty twin towers and plunging the Pentagon in Washington into flames, in an unprecedented assault on key symbols of U.S. military and financial power. REUTERS/Sean Adair — Image by © Sean Adair/Reuters/CORBIS