Besides all the other great benefits from visiting my dad downtown at his office, there is one thing that I am very fortunate to be able to see. Every time I go to visit him, I always take a walk around the National 9.11 memorial. This memorial, for me, is unlike any other monument or memorial that I have ever visited because it is honoring and remembering a horrific thing that happened in my own city. I still remember where I was the moment that the planes crashed into the towers, and all the uncertainty and horror that filled the country, New York City, and my family. I remember the day like it was yesterday, I was in kindergarten and I was unexpectedly sent home. When I got home, I walk in to the sound of my mother crying in her room watching the television. After I was informed of what happened I too was beginning to feel very scared because my father worked in the building right next door and, because all the phone lines in the entire state were down, we couldn’t get in touch with him. This was definitely one of the scariest moments of my life. Thankfully he was ok but during the time from the towers being hit to my father opening the door to my house was pure terror.

Now when I go to the memorial, I remember that day from two different angles. I look at in the eyes of people like me and my mom who were worried about our family that was at the scene trying to get away, and I think of the people who were either trapped inside or the people who showed ultimate courage that went inside to help those trapped. Those people are the ones that I will forever have respect for.

For those who haven’t been to the memorial, what you get to see is the list of all the people who died that day. You are able to, like I do, read all the names one by one and pray for the families that lost their loved ones and honor all who died because of their services. There is two of them placed in the locations of the two towers that were hit.

This memorial is in my opinion the most powerful memorial in the world because besides for all the names, there is a waterfall on all four walls that drops water down and then another smaller waterfall in in the middle that seems to have no ending. From every angle you stand, you are unable to see the bottom of the second waterfall. This is very powerful in my eyes because it seems to just never end into the core of the earth. This uncertainty brings back the uncertainty I felt that very day.

This memorial hits the aspects of beauty, emotion, and brings back memories to all who visit, which in my mind is such a beautiful work of art.