This is a special 'one off' post about a pair of shoes I saw on display in New York recently! As part of my own interest in 'storytelling' I went to the WTC Liberty Tribute Center Gallery which is a museum [very reminiscient of the 'Berlin Wall' museum] auspiced by the 9/11 Families Association. It has some remarkable and moving displays, stories and artifacts related to the history of the World Trade Centers and the events of 9/11!!
The display in question featured quotes and photos from Mayor Guliani and his Communications Manager, Sunny Mandel who together charged all over Manhattan and Ground Zero that day in response to the attacks. It one pint she looked down to see the shoes were "completely shredded."
I have also included the postcard I wrote [like thousands of others have] which may or may not find its way onto the wall at some point and I guess it sums up my mixed views about 9/11 and its place in our history.
For me, apart from Bar Beach, Newcastle and Sydney Harbour... New York is perhaps my next favourite place in the world [after three visits] and having been to the top of those Trade Center towers it was a very weird place to go and see the obvious 'hole in the sky'.
While it's true that more people die each day in the world for lack of clean water than perished that day... who are we to make such distinctions... nothing justifies or explains what happened that day. Just as nothing excuses my first world consumerism and waste in the face of global need.
As I stood there I recalled my two previous visits [Nov/Dec 2000 and June 1998] as well as sitting in a Motel [in Tamworth ?] watching Sandra Sully on the TEN evening news [middle night of a two day UTC Supervisors Course] after 10.30pm on 11/9/01. We abandoned the second day after some time in conversation about what we were witnessing and the personal connections more than one perosn in the group had with Manhattan residents or people under our care who would be grieving and involved.
