Never Forget

NEVER FORGET

I just so happen to be in New York. It's my hometown. Born in the city, returning every few years to visit friends and family, I will never grow tired of seeing the skyline come into view whether arriving by plane, by boat or by car. I will never forget the first time I arrived post 9/11 and the immense sadness I felt by the void created on that fateful day. I had only been to New York a month before the atrocity against our nation. Having been to the top of The World Trade Center only once before, with my father, just month's after its completion; I wanted to experience the view from the top of the world again...I didn't get there. I do have photos from that trip, taken from the Staten Island ferry...one in particular that I framed. It sits on my desk...a day does not go by that I don't say a silent prayer for all the souls that were affected by that tragedy.

~I remember when I was a little girl. Every year on December 7th my dad would share stories with me about the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a day in history that he would never forget. It was important for him to tell me about that day. His stories instilled deep within me a passionate love for my country. Today, December 7th comes and goes with very little fanfare. The "old timers" still remember that day vividly, but they are leaving this world, and many of our young people don't know much more about Pearl Harbor than a paragraph in their history books...Will time erase the horror we felt as a nation 11 years ago? Is it inevitable? I hope not. WE MUST NEVER FORGET. 

~How can we ever forget how our country pulled together and did whatever was necessary to protect ourselves and each other? The unity was unprecedented. We experienced a love for our country that possibly no other generation of Americans had ever embodied. My observation remains the same today, as had my father's when he remembered the bombing of Pearl Harbor; I am certain that the strength and innate goodness of our nation's great people will always overcome any adversity. 

~Today, I remember those who lost their lives. My prayers go out to the family and friends who continue today to endure the pain of their loss. I honor all the brave men and woman who walked into the unknown, and put their lives before the lives of others.

By the way, when I drove into New York City the other day, I was filled with an indescribable emotion...The "new" World Trade Center dominates the skyline...it is a symbol of the greatness of our nation...it is a monument to the hundreds of thousands of heroes who were born on September 11th, 2001. We will never forget.

Thank you, and God Bless America,

The Naples Real Estate Blogger