The Survivor Tree & 9/11 Memorial Visit

There are so many pictures and stories of my trip and yet this one grabs at my heart. The picture below is from the 911 Memorial of the Survivor Tree. This tree is a symbol of standing tall and survival it’s story is amazing… the short end of it is that it was planted at the original World Trade Center plaza in the 1970s and workers found it damaged, it was reduced to an eight-foot-tall stump in the wreckage at Ground Zero. It was removed and taken to a New York park to be nurtured back to health and in December 2011 it was returned to WTC site healthy and 30 feet tall and full of strength! It is planted to the west of the south pool and it represents the fallen South Tower there is no plaque that speaks of it and why it is there or what it has been through. But for those who read about it or have heard about it they are amazed by it.

I believe the awe of it, is something that is personal to each person and to be in its presences makes you ponder on what it has been through, what it has seen and how it is able to still stand.  Standing before it and on the grounds of the 9/11 Memorial was so overwhelming I cannot begin to describe it!

I look at this tree and I can’t help but think how it can correlate to families and individuals who go through life’s challenges and situations they can let the challenges and situations beat them down or they can be survivors! There is so much to be learned by this tree and site, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be in its presence. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to visit and reflect on that day when I woke up to my kids yelling that I had to hurry and see what was going on. The fear that we all had was the same as everyone else and wondering what was next was scary for everyone. I can’t help but think of all the men, women and children that lost their lives there, what happened to their families and how they had to go on living and become survivors.

After being there I think I can and will always remember the Survivor Tree and the entire grounds of the 9/11 Memorial for what it stands for “Strength” and  “Courage”! You know we all have access to strength and courage within ourselves!

How can you take a story like this and correlate it to something that has happen to you?

Here are several pictures and a video of the grounds at the 9/11 Memorial

What you see just before getting in line to enter the 9/11 Memorial Grounds

One of many pictures that you see while in line

Very moving picture inside just before getting to the grounds - it shows a before pix, the day of and today

Looking up into the Survivor Tree

The Survivor Tree is held down just to help her out in the case of severe weather! 

The South Pool

A video of the South Pool

The following pictures and video was taken outside of the 911 Memorial across the street from it...

The Freedom Towers was given it’s name during the process however, once it is completed in 2012 it will be known by it’s legal name One World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. It will have 104 stories. It is being constructed in the northwest corner of the 16 acre World Trade Center site, where the original one stood. It will be the third tallest building in the world.

There are also three other high-rise office buildings on the site as well all part of the World Trade Center complex along with the National 9/11 memorial & Museum.

My video of what I saw in regards to the the Freedom Tower and the three other buildings on the site: