Never Forgotten& Forever Grateful

Never Forgotten. Forever Grateful. September 11, 2001 will be a day that we remember for the rest of our lives; it changed our lives forever. In a matter of seconds people lost loved one, monumental buildings were destroyed and New York became a place once associated with historical beauty and incredible fashion  now known as the place where tragedy occurred. Those planes that crashed into the Twin Towers took the lives of many innocent people inside those building, claimed the lives of many soldiers who fought the war on terrorists to protect their country and loved ones now having to deal with life without the people they loved.

9/11 was a tragic day that we will never forget; we’ve lost so many people because of it. My little cousin and I were talking when he mentioned that on 9/11 a State Farm commercial   aired before the first NFL game of the season and it was a tribute to the state of New York and in remembrance of 9/11 and all those we lost. I expected the typical tribute with 9/11 victims or loved ones of victims telling their story and how they have since moved on; those commercials never get old because 9/11 affected us all. When I walked over to the computer and saw that the commercial I expected to see was not there instead there was this masterpiece:

This commercial is epic and I LOVE it! The emotion this commercial creates is remarkable. This commercial could bring a tear to the eye of the toughest man with the highest testosterone level. This commercial is so beautiful because it shows the beauty that still exists in New York years later. With this commercial New York reclaims what New York stands for; they don’t want people to forget the tragedy of 9/11, but people still need to remember all of the beauty that still exists there.

The children singing the chorus of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and walking through the streets of New York gives me a sense of empowerment and an effort to “take back the city”.  Here is the chorus:

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York

I must admit that whenever I thought about New York I would automatically associate 9/11 with it and after watching this commercial I think my mind will take a different path; now I will think about this commercial and what it means. On 9/11/2001 New York was a place filled sadness facing tragedy and we are still putting our lives back together after that day. In order for us to continue moving forward we have to take our lives back from that day and making commercials like this is a good way to help. We will never forget the day, but always be grateful that we are still here and have developed an amount of strength to help us get through such a devastating time in history.