That Day I Became a New Yorker.

I love New York City.


My sister worked in Washington D.C. for a time, and on one of my visits we got a rental car and drove up through New Jersey for a quick visit. I'd been places before -- overseas, and other large cities, but nothing had prepared me for the size and scale of the Big Apple.

My first glimpse came from a hazy distance. Shrouded in gray, two great landmarks book-ended the city: The Empire State Building on the left at one end, and The World Trade Center to the right. Coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel I was stunned. Having grown up in a town of less than a thousand people, it was hard for me fathom the scope of my surroundings.

Did man have the power to build such a place?

It was a whirlwind of a day. We gave a shout out home on the Today Show, saw a Broadway show, and ran the Island from one end to the other. We soaked in everything we could  within the short time we had to visit. Yet, it was from that first hazy morning view that the City had me. She won me over. That day I became a New Yorker.

So when the Towers fell, I too felt the ground rumble...

Watching the people flee, I too felt terror...

And as the dust cloud overtook them, I too felt choked by ash and smoke.


Nine years later, I take a moment to remember. May God grant peace to all who continue to suffer effects of that dark day, and may the memory of those who were lost remain bright in the hearts of those who loved them.


Amen.