Rainy Day Sunflower at 9/11 Memorial

After years of deliberation and preparation, the 9/11 Memorial opened at the site of the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan. We waited for a rainy day to visit, hoping to avoid the crowds that throng New York City. Someone left a sunflower, placed above the word “Flight,” alluding to the crew and passengers lost on the hijacked planes that hit the two buildings. Rain poured from the sky, like tears shed by mourners. The sunflower said that a ray of sunshine remains, and that life blooms anew, in spite of the losses. Photo and text by Sharon Packer.