September 11

I stopped cold for the first moment of silence this morning. I vividly remembered being on the phone when the first Tower was hit. My friend and I were in shock. It was surreal and I recalled working in the building. For a moment I vividly remembered a giant King Kong lying on the ground during the filming of the movie.

Family friends and I waited for her brother to come home from his job on Wall Street. Sad to compare this moment in politics to a time when the whole country pulled together.

As a member of the WTC Registry, I still have vivid memories of that day.  On 9/11 I try to visit both WTC memorials in Maplewood.  One is the tree at the Maplewood  train station planted in memory of the Maplewood residents who died at the WTC that day.  The second is a memorial adjacent to the Hilton Branch Library (SA side close to the Gazebo) which contains a piece of the WTC.  The Maplewood Fire Department maintained that memorial.  I assume the South Essex Fire Department has taken over that responsibility.  There was a memorial service at the Hilton Branch memorial this morning.  If you have not visited either memorial, now might be a good time to do so.

Eagle Rock is the place I go to for reflection. Sometimes I wish it would all go away, and I can just go up there and look at all the names…and that statue of the little girl..