I remember my classmates, and I moved around the school that day in virtual silence. Each of us making mental notes of friends, and loved ones that would have been in, or near the towers. My mother took three days to get home after the attacks. It was a strange panic we all felt, but could not put into words. The sadness sunk into my soul, the moment I met with a friend, outside of my school building, panicking because she could not reach her father who worked in one of the buildings. The smoke cloud from the Manhattan completely took over the sky, so that they were visible even from my home, in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Everyday, the Daily News would print out names, with photos of those missing, and deceased. I remember the exact date that they stopped looking for survivors, and started "recovering bodies."
Life in the City that Never Sleeps, stood absolutely still. We were frozen in this horrible moment. This one action tearing us down almost completely. We were broken, and even for the toughest people in the United States, it seemed impossible that we would recover.
I remember too, what the return to normalcy was for me. It was when Yankees baseball came back. Looking into the stands in the Bronx, during the first game back was incredible. We were a united front. The signs, and cheers from the crowd rejuvenated this city in a way that I don't think anything else could. For a moment, it was about more than just the players on the field. It was about us, the fans. Everyone in the city. The return of baseball was such a clear message that this city could be bent, but never ever broken.That World Series against the Diamondbacks was about more than a Championship.
For me at least, though I would have liked the Yankees to win, it wasn't really about the win. It was about proving that this country would never stay down. We might take a hit or two, but we were going to get back up.
I visited the Ground Zero memorial this year with my three children. All of whom were born after the attacks. We walked around the perimeter of both towers, pausing briefly in front of the name of my friends father. I explained to them the beauty the Twin Towers once held, and that the new Freedom Tower will be just as beautiful for the generations to come. It's reflective surface shows us a city that, although took a huge hit, is still standing tall, and proud.
There is something to be said for strength through normalcy. Baseball was my normalcy, and as such brought me strength to crawl out of a spiral of sadness, and emptiness. One of the greatest quotes by Robert Frost says "In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on." The return of baseball in those moments of sorrow helped us go on. It helped us move forward towards normalcy. We should never forget the attacks from that day. Obviously, there are many who mourn the loss of a loved one. But baseball made it so that we weren't completely stuck in that moment. It helped revive this city. And New York has never gone back to sleep.
I'd like to extend my thoughts, and love to those who lost someone as a result of those attacks on September 11th. Whether it be here in New York City, in the flight that went down in Pennsylvania, the Pentagon, or those who lost someone to the war. Though I will never know the extent of your pain, or loss, I want you to know that you are forever in my thoughts, and I wish you, and your family peace.
--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804
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