I never know what to write on September 11. Last year it was on a Thursday, so I wrote it as a Love Thursday post. This year, the thing I am most aware of is that this is the first September 11 in five that I have not been in New York and, more specifically, in downtown Manhattan. In 2007 and 2008, in fact, I was at a job where the windows of my floor at work overlooked Ground Zero.
This year, in Washington, DC, the anniversary feels less immediate – in fact, it hit me today that walking around downtown DC, you would not necessarily know that it was September 11, whereas in New York, there would be no way of not knowing.
I was actually in Washington on September 11, 2001, and the thing I remember the most vividly from right before learning about the attacks was how almost unnaturally blue the sky had looked that morning. It was truly technicolor blue – something I remember noticing that morning.
As I did last year, I looked around to see what other bloggers had written about the anniversary, because I invariably never know what to write. Monica at Ciao Chessa and Kelly at Starting Anew both wrote very moving pieces. And I read Melita’s post on how September 11 is a bittersweet day for her as it is also the anniversary of her starting to date Ryan.
And I also loved this article in the Washington Post about how September 11 is becoming a day of service. Thank you to Ellecubed for mentioning it on twitter.
Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt / CC BY 2.0
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I was in India that year on Sep 11. I remember us being glued to the TV and my mom frantically calling my aunt (and other relatives) to make sure my uncle (who was supposed to be in/near the WTC around the time/day- I don't remember exactly) was safe. It was a sad day, and as on any day such as this, it is difficult to know what to say/write.
The unnaturally blue sky you saw, almost seems like the color equivalent of a sense of foreboding. Like a calm before the storm- which is probably how it was.:(
I love the idea of it becoming a day of service. Any way of turning anything from that horror into something positive feels so healing.