9/11. My goodness, it changed life forever.
Matt and I had just moved out of NYC three months before 9/11 happened. We decided that the suburban life was what we wanted to experience, we had done NYC for 2 years… and we thought we were able to say, “Been there, done that.”
Then 9/11. And for this reason, we felt a strong draw back to NYC. We had to be there. We had to live there. We wanted to help the city prosper in some way. We wanted to remember and honor the heroes from 9/11… and we felt the only way we could was to move back and not be afraid.
We did. We moved back for 5 more years. We worked in Times Square. We had two baby boys in NYC. And we gave our heart to the City.
We lost two college friends on 9/11. They were both in the World Trade Center Towers… Paul Sloan and Ray Rocha. For the last 7 years, I have thought about these men daily, but especially on this day. I honor them.
Our dearest friend, Dimitri Gavriel, joined the Marines after 9/11 to defend and honor our country. He lost his life on November 19, 2004 in Fallujah. I honor Dimi in this day too.
To all the men and women and children affected by 9/11 – personally, emotionally, physically… I honor YOU today. We will never forget.
Take time today to remember the heroes of 9/11. Now and always.
Amen, Audrey.
It’s so great that 9/11 caused you to move back to New York. That’s exactly the kind of spirit that makes all of the good that came in the aftermath so inspiring. What a great way to honor the city, your friends, and all of the other heroes of the day.
My heart goes out to you with your losses, but how inspiring that you felt the draw to move back to NYC, to give back to the city.
Thanks for posting this. I still think about Ray and Paul.