Simplicity Rose

For reasons unclear to me, I’ve avoided more than a superficial look at the 9/11 Memorial. It seems we went from tragedy to fear to bickering about the sites, and then the politics came in to play. At some point, I shut it down.

I didn’t lose a loved one that day, but like millions of others I experienced the collective grief and loss as well as a paradigm shift into a different sense of the world.

As I explored the online guide to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, of particular interest to me were the unique arrangements of the names on the plaques, based on input from family and friends.  They weren’t linear or alphabetical, but meaningfully grouped as friends or coworkers. The site helped me explore lingering grief within myself, an unexplored loss from that terrible day.

It’s hard not to be moved by the gaping holes where life once bustled, serene fountains eerily reflecting the sky and the engraved names, each one a loss so profound for their loved ones; for us all.

If you’ve been avoiding it, like me, I encourage you to take a look.

If you suffered a personal loss that day, my heart goes out to you as you travel that long and painful journey of sorrow and grief.

The Memorial Mission

Remember and honor the thousands of innocent men, women, and children murdered by terrorists in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001.

Respect this place made sacred through tragic loss.

Recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who supported us in our darkest hours.

May the lives remembered, the deeds recognized, and the spirit reawakened be eternal beacons, which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.

National September 11 Memorial official site.