Thursday, January 19, 2012

9/11 Memorial

Our Visitors Pass for the National September 11th Memorial fell on a very cold Saturday Morning. The Memorial is a tribute of respect and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 2001 not only at the World Trade Center site, but also near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. Although very crowded on this early January morning, there was a peaceful quiet that prevailed. We visited the memorial as a family and placed sprigs of fresh Rosemary for Remembrance and Bay, symbolic of valor, courage, and strength at the two reflecting pools. 
This Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after sustaining extensive damage yet enduring through the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, the tree with burned branches, snapped roots and a blackened trunk was discovered and removed from the piles of smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center. It recovered in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx under the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The tree was returned to the Memorial site in 2010.

4 comments:

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

I haven't been there yet, but I saw it on TV on the 10th anniversary. What a beautiful and moving tribute to the lives lost. I know everything is about money, but they should really leave that space as a memorial to the lost. Thanks for sharing your visit.

Angela McRae said...

Love the thoughtfulness of the rosemary and bay leaf you left. And I had not heard the story of that remarkable tree!

Donna and Miss Spenser said...

I am sure it must have been a moving experience....I too liked your thoughtfulness of the rosemary and bay leaf. Still so hard to believe this really took place...looking forward to the new movie coming out this weekend concerning this topic.

Marilyn Miller said...

The sprigs of rosemary are so perfect to leave there. How thoughtful to remember. I hadn't heard about the tree, but oh so special to rescue it and nurture it back to health.