Freedom Tower Being Build on Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan
A couple weeks ago, I was in New York city. The last time I was there, the Twin Towers still stood. So it was fitting that on 11-11-11, I would visit the spot that changed so much for so many.
I took the R train from the place I was staying in midtown Manhanttan to Ground Zero (it’s hopelessly easy to take the subway in New York – I truly don’t understand how anyone can get lost).
As I emerged from the subway, I looked up to see the new Freedom Tower being built on the spot where the two buildings once stood.
I wanted to see the memorial, but I didn’t know that I had to buy tickets in advance. So, I simply walked around the site, trying to replace the sights and sounds that I was hearing around me with the ones in the many video footages from that day 10-years earlier.
Without the Twin Towers, the spot that ch anged the course of history looks so small. Yet, in its smallness an event happened that showed how resilient the human spirit can be in the face of such evil.
The story is being rewritten.
We can’t ignore what happened in lower Manhattan 10-years ago. Families are missing someone they love. The world economy is in a mess due to overspending on war. Two year old toddlers are being frisked at airport security checkpoints to thwart another attack.
But we have emerged to tell the story in a different way. The story of overcoming. The story of rebuilding. The story of what happens when humans band together for good.
You have a story to tell. No matter how ugly or odd your experience has been, you can tell your story in a different way so you’re a blessing to others.
Yes, you are just one person, but you’re far from small.
