Heavenly Halo at Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial
On this 19th anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, I'm posted this image in tribute to those lost on that day and in the aftermath. Empty Sky is the NJ Memorial for residents who lost their lives as a result of that attach, almost 800 of them. As you can see in this image, their names are etched in the brushed staintless steel walls. I chose this image because it seemed so very symbolic. The small sprigs of flowers tucked into a crevice on the left wall; the amazing heavenly halo of light from the rays of the lowering sun combined with the sky color and clouds reflected onto the memorial and, lastly, the little girl running with such joy and energy along the path. So many of the people lost in the attacks had families - older children, young children, newborn babies and some still in the womb. The young ones will never know their lost family member. The older ones are adults now, many who could have children of their own, like this young girl. Sadly, the almost 3,000 lost that day was only the beginning. As of Sept 2018, over 16,000 first responders, rescue, recovery and ceean up workers have died or are suffering from cancers and respiratory illnesses due to the toxic fumes that prevailed in the Ground Zero, lower Manhattan area for many months after the attack.