State side

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I landed back in the states on the 1st of April, 2003, 23 months since I last stepped onto American soil, excluding embassies. My good friend Vic was getting married in 4 days in Pennsylvania, this allowed me some time to rest, adjust and visit. I sandwiched in between my arrival and departure of Philly a short trip to New York City. I couldn't come to the east coast and not go tothe one place that has effected my trip more then anything else, Ground Zero. Walking from the train station down to the site was somewhat revealing. The streets seemed a little less crowded then I remembered them. At one point I stopped to look at my guide book when this older fella approached me, asking if I needed any help. After saying yes, I was looking for ground zero, he smiled and said in the strongest Brooklyn accent imaginable, \250 down this street sonny, that street runs right into it, goin to pray for da boys r ya, good for ya.\238 He then smiled and turned away.

Eventually I came to ground zero, which, at this point is pretty much just a big hole in the ground. I kept looking up into the sky, as I had done some 20 years ago, but all I could see was blue sky, except for those flashback memories of 9/11 that we all seem to have imprinted in our minds forever. It would make me shutter for a second, then I would shake it off and move onto the next thing. The entire area is fenced off, guarded by security personnel. The viewing area is filled by people who have come to see, like me, for themselves the infamous location. Many leave messages, take photos, say prayers and quietly walk along the fence trying to comprehend the magnitude of what happened. Something good must come of it, otherwise those who planned such a horrible act will of won. Good doesn*t mean revenge or making someone pay, but harder questions like how can we all be more accountable for creating a world that can work and live together in some kind of peace, respecting differences and finding common ground. It takes more energy, more time and more money to pursue this goal, but it will decrease the unnecessary suffering that always seem to accompany what looks like the easy way out.

I left ground zero , offering my own payers and hope, and headed back for more jubilant times, Vic and Joy's medieval wedding!