9/11…

On this day, do you remember where you were? what you were doing? Who you were with? what you were wearing? To be honest… I don’t. I always felt bad for not remembering. I have some memories that seem all out of sorts. I have memories of being in school while teachers were frantic and crying but then again… I sometimes think those memories aren’t true. As if my mind… put them there because so many friends my age were in school during 9/11. The one memory that I don’t think is my mind playing a trick on me is me sitting at home while my mom is folding a huge pile of clothes in the living room. I’m still wearing my uniform from school while watching TV as the towers collapse. 

I hate that these memories are so clouded. I think that’s why photography is so important. Not just so that people with cruddy memory (like mine) can look back on those photos and remember important moments. It’s so that when we look at those photos, you can feel the nostalgia. You can feel how united your family was on that vacation. You can feel the fur of your favorite childhood dog under the palm of your hand. You can remember the emotions you felt when you held your first baby girl/boy. 

Most importantly, after feeling all those emotions, you can look back on what you’ve done since that photo was taken. See how much your kids have grown and how much closer you are to your spouse. Even better, see how much closer your kids are to you as they get older. See how far along you have come in your career, even after all the worry that overwhelmed you of wondering how you were gonna pay tuition. In this case, in the case of 9/11, see how well tragedy was overcome by a group of people mourning their losses and pushing forward TOGETHER every step of the way.

Many people don’t know this but as rescue teams and firefighters were digging through the rubble looking for any signs of life, “construction worker Frank Silecchia encountered a 17-foot-tall cross which became an icon of hope and comfort throughout the recovery effort of 9/11.” (2012). I think we can look back at these photos with sorrow but we can also look at these photos and feel proud of how people came together to rebuild. Not just to rebuild a structure but to rebuild hope. Lives were lost and families were separated but through that, the people of New York have come such a long way and are stronger than ever. They overcame the tragedy that is seen in these photos and that is what should be highlighted. 

Photos are not just to remember the graduations, the weddings, the engagements, etc. Photos are also to remember the history and the struggles we’ve gone through to get to where we are now. It’s to see what we had to go through that gave us the privilege to live the lives we are blessed with. It’s to feel all the emotions we’ve gone through and to feel grateful for who we are and what we have now.

So the next time you’re looking back on the family photo album, think about where you were in life and where you are now. 

xx,

Claudia

Sources:

9/11 Memorial Staff. “‘WTC Cross’ Is Installed in 9/11 Memorial Museum (Updated).” “WTC Cross” Is Installed in 9/11 Memorial Museum (Updated) | National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, 2012.

Mari, Frank. “Cross at Ground Zero by Frank Mari.” Fine Art America, 18 Mar. 2010.

Clary, Timothy A. “The makeshift steel cross at "Ground Zero" was the subject of a lawsuit.” AFP/Getty Images, 2014.

First, Health. “Photos: 9/11 First Responder relocated to Brevard.” Florida today, 2020.