Tomorrow is the anniversary of a terrible day in our nation’s history. The 9/11 tragedy was something that is now a memory that has its own memorial, much like Pearl Harbor. I was in New York this summer for some much needed R&R, and took the time to visit the memorial. I’d like to take you through that day with me.
There is construction around the memorial, as they are building the Freedom Tower, and surrounding buildings. But, once you walk around the makeshift path to the entrance of the memorial, and see the landscaped grass and concrete and stone walkways, you feel a sense of reverence. No one talks much as they prepare to enter.
It was a hot, sunny, humid New York summers day, the kind of day where you know from the moment you get up your shirt will be stuck to your back for most of the day. That being said, it is a lovely day, and a breeze picks up as you enter the memorial. You make your way to the larger of the two pools, and begin to walk around it. You see the names carved into the stone. You touch one to make a sense memory. You walk past the names, possibly not knowing a single person whose name is there as a permanent reminder, but feel a sense of loss nonetheless.Then you see it.
A single white rose, stuck into one of the names.
Someone did know one of these people memorialized here. You see another one, and another, then groups of them. It hits you square in the face, again. Fathers didn’t come home. Babies would never be comforted by their mothers again. Brothers would never make it to the family cook outs. Sisters couldn’t share the delight of a newborn in the family.
And you begin to weep.
And you then see people posing for pictures, smiling. Don’t they get it? This is a place of sadness, a place for mourning, of solemnity. Why are they snapping pictures as if this place were a tourist stop? How could they be acting this way? You get angry. You stare at them from behind your sunglasses, and just watch them.
And you realize, they’ve probably been coming here for a while, and they’re simply visiting a friend, or family. And you start to calm down, the sadness abates, and you see that yes, the sun is still shining, and it is a beautiful day. And you smile, too.
Ben Cox is the morning show host of “Ben Cox in the Morning” on KQBZ, 96.9 FM in Brownwood Texas. He reports from the sidelines at every Early Longhorn game, and is the new in-stadium voice of the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football team. Ben is also an event DJ for weddings, parties and the like.
The thoughts and comments reflected in this column are those of the writer alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Wendlee Broadcasting, or its affiliates.
