FDNY

We're going to pretend that I was organized enough to post this closer to September 11th ...

I got a phone call from Delta Airlines in March of 2000.  Apparently, I purchased their 3 millionth online airline ticket and had won a trip for four to the World Series that year.  I suddenly became a massive baseball fan as we watched the playoffs to see where we would be going.  Lucky for us .. it was the year of the Subway Series - Yankees vs. Mets.  It was our first time taking the girls to New York City!!

Statue of Liberty .. Central Park .. Broadway .. they loved everything.  You can tell by the photos, Rachel was in her "SUPERSTAR" phase of photo taking. 

This was pre 9/11 .. back when you could still hike it to the top of the Statue of Liberty and the twin towers appeared in photos. 

One afternoon, we were on our way back to the hotel when we saw a couple of FDNY firefighters outside trying to coax people into their new fire safety facility in Manhattan.  Jeremy and I were going to cross the street to avoid them ... when a really excited four year old took off running down the block and started to chat up the firefighters.  We ended up hanging out with them for over an hour .. playing dress up, learning about fires, coloring, etc.

 

We did not realize it at the time, but this company was one of the first responders after the planes hit the towers eleven months later.  These individuals displayed a level of courageousness that day that few people ever achieve and showed us all the true meaning of putting others welfare before your own. 

We will forever be grateful for a moment that was initiated by a smart little girl who recognized the fun of being a pretend fireman .. and we stopped rushing around long enough to appreciate these incredibly brave individuals.