Respect, Honor and Bravery

I must share a short story.  

Sitting in the airport anticipating my first visit to New York City I met a lady who was heading home to NY from business here in FL. We talked about 9 /11, her experiences and her feelings about how people should respect the memorial. She felt that it was awkward and disheartening to see visitors snapping smiling photos in front of where so many lost their lives. As much as I love taking photos the feeling was mutual. 

This incredibly brave woman was working on the 18th floor when the towers were hit-  she saw so much destruction; the chaos, the burning bodies, people falling, others screaming. What seemed to be a nightmare was sadly reality. Escaping with her life she ran towards home in Queens and didn't stop  running, that is until a tourist stopped her for directions. All she could muster up was to tell them not to go in that direction. How could they not know? 

This woman, like so many is a walking miracle. She said she's only gone by that area a couple times but now cannot even go near there,  and never will. I felt honored she shared her story with me because she said she hadn't talked about it much; explaining it was like a movie reel in her mind. I was moved and saddened by this, but truly grateful for our encounter. She seemed intrigued by my story of living aboard a sailboat along with the simplicity of future dreams, as work had seemed to take over lately. I offered up how journaling helped me through difficult times. 

There were other things discussed and we soon realized multiple similarities in our life. I know we were meant to speak to one another that day. People are important, life is precious and we must open our eyes to see this truth. I wanted to tell her she was brave. Not only in that moment of time; but since then she continues to be  brave, courageous and strong. 

#neverforget but #respect and #honor