Definition of:

    ground zero

1. 1:  the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs
2. 2:  the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change; broadly  :  center 2a <the party town that served as ground zero for those corporate … bashes — Rich Eisen>
3. 3:  the very beginning Trials and Tribulations

   Troubles and Events that cause suffering, etc.

   I recently had the opportunity to visit the area where the World Trade Center Twin Towers were supposed to be. The Twin Towers that once stood majestically reaching up into the sky. The same Twin Towers that were the landmark that let you know that you had arrived in NY. The same Twin Towers that brought people from all walks of life and from so many countries together to conduct the business of trade. The same Twin Towers that I had passed so many times when I was growing up and living in NY. The same Twin Towers that I looked for each and every time that I flew into any one of the the NY Airports when I was returning home to visit my mother or that I would pass through on my way to the various military locations that I attended during my time in service. 

   But alas upon my arrival to the space where the Towers once stood were vast open holes in the ground that have been turned into Memorialized Fountains that left you standing there in total awe. Upon closer viewing, the majesty of the cascading waters falling from the outer fringes of where the walls to the building once were and would have been to the exact center point of an eerie black hole as the waters were swallowed up obviously to be recycled so that this effect would go on and on. The impression that I got from this was so similar to watching those science fiction space movies where where a super nova or a black hole has occurred and everything and I mean everything would have been sucked into and of itself. Thus, the impression of the buildings coming down that fateful day were captured in the design of these fountains. You could almost hear it and feel it happening as we stood there. Any yet, other than the sound of the cascading waters falling, there was a calm about the area. At this point, I should point out, that on the day that we chose to visit the site, that it was raining. Sometimes very heavy, sometimes a bit lighter but constant. Wait, there’s more. As we approached the very walls enclosing the fountains, you could clearly begin to see that each and every person who lost their lives that fateful day, were etched in perpetuity on those stones. It was as if when you went to lean upon the walls that you would be touching the lives, the very souls and spirits of those whose lives had been ended that day. It was as if you would become one with them. It was as if you were helping them to remain alive.

   My next stop of this journey of remembering and not forgetting was to traverse through the Ground Zero Museum. There was so much to cover in this museum but it was more than a museum. It was more of a symbol of remembrance and reminders of what was and what is. The honor and humbling that was felt as I moved through was brought to a completely emotional moment when we arrived at the hall of pictures. This was an area that was hallowed to be sure. No photos were allowed to be taken nor would I have expected anyone to want to do so. The respect and honor paid by not just some but by all the visitors was so, so humbling and heart warming to me. I can’t remember being anywhere else in my life where this was as strong as it was that day. On the walls were the photos of each and every one of the people that died that day as well as from the original bombing attempts in the mid 1990’s. These were pictures of people who had come from all walks of life and all races and creeds. Because I live in Bermuda, my wife, son and I made a point of locating the pictures of 2 Bermudians (Rhondelle Tankard and Boyd Gatton) who perished that day. Yes, two people, in the prime of their lives who had come from a small isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean to be a part of the grander scheme of things in the modern business world. 

   So I have been very deliberate to paint a picture with words of a situation that occurred at ground zero. So vast and devastating that the wounds of which will take many, many years to heal and surely that while they heal, they will not ever be forgotten. But what about you? What is going on in your life that has caused those around you and things about you to explode and cause grief, misery and hardship? Have things gotten so bad and troublesome that you cannot and do not see any hope in sight? Well, let me let you know that 3 words come to mind…Feel, Felt and Found. I can truly say from the bottom of my heart that I know how you feel, I felt that way too and here is what I found out. I too experienced a devastating ground zero effect in my life. I thought that there was no hope. That there was no point in going on and questioned whether seeing tomorrow was worth it or even going to happen. What I found out was that eventually one can work through the anguish and heartache that causes all these negatives to flourish. That believing that there is a force that comes from a Higher Authority that is there to offer pathways to new beginnings. So I ask you, are you going to stay and sit in the rubble of your ground zero or learn from that of what took place at the World Trade Center?

   Now while that would have seemed a logical ending for this posting, I chose to add just a bit more information to really bring it home to each and every one of us…

   But yet, all was not sorrow on this day that my family and I chose to visit this “Ground Zero”, for just a short distance away rises up in splendor and majesty the New World Trade Center Tower to show the World that you may get knocked down and all may seem lost but with the rise of tomorrow’s sun dawns a new day for each of us. As the phenix rose from the ashes to a new creation, so too will you have that ability. The choice is Yours. Never, never, never forget this!