In December of 2013, I visited ground zero: the 9.11 Memorial.

I remember walking through empty New York City streets towards the entrance into the memorial (we weren’t in Time Square anymore). After mazing ourselves through the bare stanchions, we bought a last-minute ticket without a wait. Moving through security, our bags were checked and a few people caught up to enter with us.  Stepping closer to ground zero, the dark hallways brightened with city buildings and park lights.

The swamp white oaks resided in a scrupulous formation on the grounds and their leaves were colored a reddish brown. I was quite amazed these trees still had leaves, especially in NYC during winter. But, it looked beautiful.

I followed my husband towards the towers’ monuments.

Up close, my pointer finger traced through an engraved name as my eyes noticed its neighbor was different and the names continued to multiply along the square edges of the recessed pool.

I looked up and inside the pool where lights illuminated the water falls, and its constant flow gave off a peaceful sound.

I thought back to being a middle school science class the day of the attack and how my teacher turned on the news for everyone to watch.

Moans and gasps escaped from our throats. We all knew it was horrible. I felt confused and wondered why and what exactly was happening.

Today I watched a 9.11 special on tv, and I know one thing is for certain: we will never forget.

Click here for more information about the Memorial and visiting it