Day 5 Part I
Friday, April 10, 2015

The 911 Memorial

On a cloudy,foggy morning we took a cab to Ground Zero. As I walked on the ground where the Twin Towers once stood, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The foundation those two buildings once towered above, has now become a deep sacred space where eternal streams of water flow.
Inside the museum. you move in a downward spiral. One foundational wall remains. Artifacts of all sorts tell the story in human terms…lives lost, families changed forever, and a city and nation shaken to its core. I listened as a NYC fire fighter retold the story of his company whose shattered fire truck was on display. As you continue to descend, you come to a room where you relive that day moment by moment. I was moved to tears as listened to the voices of those who were taken calling their loved ones for the last time to say, I love you.
But the 911 Memorial is also a place of HOPE! On the ground where the towers once stood, there stands the Survivor Tree. This callery pear tree was found damaged but still living in the midst of the rubble. It was taken by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and replanted. When the 911 Memorial was built, it was placed in the ground on the museum site as a symbol of hope. The flowering pear tree is a reminder to all who pass by that evil never has the last word and with Christ, there is always the hope of resurrection.
Pastor Vallerie