Never Forget

When I first saw the lights earlier this week, I was caught off guard. It somehow sneaks up on me every year. And yet, here they are again--peeking out from my daughters' bedroom window--lighting up the whole city and reminding us of that tragic day. It's been 13 years and yet, last night when I first went to the roof to shoot some photos, I was overwhelmed with sadness. It was the kind of grief that I can usually fight back, but not last night. I just felt weepy. And so I played sad songs and cried and made connections with so many others through my photos on Facebook. And that was what I needed, I guess. I woke this morning and felt much better. And then sunset came again and the lights. The lights were back. Only this time, the skies had cleared and they shone all the way up and through the cloudless sky. Like beams of pure energy bringing us closer to those we lost. How can we ever forget? I never will.