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:

Team Work or Just A Nice Serenade

Here's another little story with a video from my New York trip something to think about or not.

We were running off to another location and as usual we going to our class once we got to the subway and jumped on the train at the next stop a man and his daughter got on. The daughter had a hat and was passing it around and the father played his accordion the music was nice to hear in the morning.

They were a team working together we talked about it and wondered were they a team, did they make their money for the family this way? In general it made you wonder what their story was of course we will never know what their story is we can only guess.

I would like to believe that it was team work and they did this to earn extra money for their family and in doing so I had some wonderful music to start off my day. The state of New York allows this and they actually obtain a permit or contract with the city to play in the subway, just an FYI. Sometimes we want to put a story where there is none it is just what it is and that is all. If I took a look at all the reasons why I should not continue moving forward with this business I would become frozen in my own tracks with all the stories I could create. Instead I chose to not listen to the stories or create stories and just do! 

What do you think?

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

No matter where we were in New York we found that New Yorkers wanted to help us half the time we did not even have to ask for help they just came up to us and helped! I think what people don’t understand is that life is like that if we allow it to and sometimes we have to take a step towards someone or even ask them for help. We have a tendency to not reach out but I promise if you do you will receive it!

The picture below is a New York gal who saw the five us trying to get the gate to open with our tickets for the subway and we were could not get that gate to open for us. She walked up to us and showed us how to do and then stayed right by each of us to assure that we got through the gate in order to catch the subway to our class!

In putting together the site for one-parent families I understood that I was going to need help that I could not do it alone though I tried but I failed. Then I was lucky enough to become involved Count Me In for women’s economic independence and I heard CEO  Nell Merlino say “No one can do it alone, we all need help and that is why we are here” To become part of their community has been nothing short of amazing! I know that this site/community will be huge for all one-parent families if they chose to reach out to the help that will be there for them.

In relation to my one-parent family in the beginning I thought “How am I going to be able to raise these kids alone” I would lay awake trying to figure it out at the start. Then I heard a statement by  First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and she said “ It takes a village to raise a child” way back then I took those words to heart, You know what it was freeing to me because I realized what she said was true whether you are a one-parent family or a two-parent family it still takes a village to raise a child.

I had to create that village and I had to figure out what I needed then figure out who I could ask to help me make it happen. I needed some after school help my mom needed a little R&R from child watching so I asked around and found that the city actually had after school centers at each school and guess what they worked on a sliding scale! They also worked with me regarding payment since my paydays did not match the first of the month payment! They had so much fun at the center and for that moment in time it was so helpful to me and my children. Just like my New York trip on another subway ride we jumped on but we were not sure if we were going the right way so we were saying we better ask someone… just then one of the conductors (see picture below) came on board as well and he walked right up to us and asked where did we want to go. We told him and told us where to get off and which way to go and told us to have a great day!

That is what our community Parenting On Your Own is all about our website is going down because construction work is starting now! I am so excited about this entire process so I hope you keep checking back to see what other stories I have regarding my trip to New York and how it relates.

Have an awesome day and don’t forget it’s OK to ask for help and No On absolutely No One does it alone!

And, so it goes…