The Courage to Go On.

My friend and her family invited me to join them on a trip to New York in either 1979 or 1980, I don't quite remember. I'm sitting in the middle in this picture taken in front of a sculpture created by Fritz Koenig called "The Sphere".

This is the same sculpture 21 years later, after 9-11. 

My friend recently sent me the picture. She had found it in her mom's album. We had forgotten about this. The strange thing is I had seen the second picture just a few days before. I sent her the "after" picture and we both agreed how eerie it was that we found those pictures just days apart.

According to Wikipedia, at its current location in Battery Park, a plaque alongside The Sphere reads as follows:

For three decades, this sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. Entitled "The Sphere", it was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. It was damaged during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but endures as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country. The Sphere was placed here on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.
This eternal flame was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of all those that were lost. Their spirit and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

In 2005, I went back to NYC with my own family. We visited ground zero. The volunteer who gave us a walking tour was a young widow of 9-11. Her husband, a firefighter, never came home. Her story was so touching and such a testimonial of survival.


Today, I will be thinking about her and about all the other people who lost loved ones on that day, and pray that they continue to find the courage to go on.