We all remember it - where we were, who we were with, how we got home. I was just hours into the first day of my graduate school internship (for social work) when a Schizophrenic man casually stated, "A plane flew into the Twin Towers." I will never forget that moment -- or the hours, weeks, and months that followed. I had been living in New York City for just one month at the time, and continued to live there for the next nine years. It goes without saying that post-9/11 was filled with devastation, despair, and shock. But this time also gave so many a sense of community, belonging, and hope.
These next few are from the massive citizen-driven memorial in Union Square Park.
I end with a bit of humor, which is that just two months later, New York City was able to host the 75th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, just blocks from Ground Zero. I had the unbelievable opportunity to be a Clown in the parade (and the year after too!) with my dear friend Melanie. How amazing of the city of NY, and its visitors, that they said "the show must go on." We danced and twirled down Broadway to cheering crowds and smiling kids. What an extraordinary way to say, we will persevere, we will go on, we will smile, we will laugh ... and we will be forever changed.
