9/11 – Thirteen Years On and Still In Our Hearts and Minds

The Gallery Collection remembers the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From the victims of the attacks, to the first responders and every day citizens who rushed in to selflessly help others. From the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon, to Flight 93. Thirteen years later, and they are all still in our hearts and in our minds.

9-11-14

City Scenes Christmas Cards Featuring Photos of Your Favorite Cities Have Arrived!

Ok, I’m a creature of habit. I pick the same type of holiday card every year. I tend to gravitate towards winter, landscape scenes. I look and compare and look some more, until I find the perfect card that calls out to me! I like to look at the card and imagine myself transported into a peaceful village, with smoke swirling out of the chimneys. I always feel at peace as I look at these wonderful holiday scenes. I was very content picking my cards. Until, that is, our new City Scenes Christmas Cards arrived.

These beautiful Christmas cards depict scenes of great cities. As I look at them, I can imagine myself transported into some places that I have not had the privilege to see, as well as a couple that I have.

Design 76ACW - New York City, Tribute in Light Christmas Card
Design 76ACW - New York City, Tribute in Light
Christmas Card

My personal favorite card is Design 76ACW – New York City, Tribute in Light Christmas Card. No matter where you are or what cities you have been to, we can all relate to these powerful, symbolic lights that commemorate the World Trade Center! As I look at the scene, I feel some sadness, but more than that, I feel such a sense of pride. I’ve always known that I live in a great country, but this event showed that we are also a great people and capable of great things when we all work together!

Some other scenes show the Boston Harbor, Seattle’s Space Needle, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and the White House, in Washington, D.C., just to name a few. Take a look through our selection and I’m sure that you will find one that jumps out at you. Like me, you might just have a hard time deciding!

September 11th – Ten Years On

This year marks a few anniversaries for me. Ten years ago, I moved into my first apartment. Ten years ago, I started working at Prudent Publishing. And, somehow, ten years ago four jets attacked us on our own turf – two of them crashing into buildings not ten miles from the one I sit in today.

I feel as though this past decade has gone by in no time at all. Wasn’t it yesterday that we sat down on a clear September morning to start the workday? The memory seems vivid enough. Though the Prudent Publishing offices are very close to New York City, we felt a bit removed as misinformation spread through our floor. We knew that planes had flown into the World Trade Center, and we had heard about the attack on the Pentagon. I clearly recall being told that planes were headed for all of the major cities in the U.S., and many of the landmarks that define our country. The dismay and shock in the room was palpable.

Then, an email was sent. “One of the Towers has collapsed.” I can hear coworkers on the phone, trying to get through to family in the City. I can see the plume of smoke that rose over the skyline. My new apartment’s beautiful city view would be shadowed in smoke for weeks afterwards.

We were dismissed late that morning and I can still picture the faces in the cars around me, driving to their destinations in silent shock. I can still feel the adrenaline pumping as I would awake in the middle of the night and tune to the cable news channels, wondering what would happen next.

In the ensuing years, it’s been quite an experience to watch Americans come together to volunteer in the days after 9/11, collecting supplies for workers at Ground Zero or putting together care packages for the troops who were sent overseas. There was a sense of patriotism that became more prominent after such a horrific day. As time went by and political lines were drawn, we seemed to lose some of that camaraderie, but on this tenth anniversary, I hope we can remember what we are capable of when we come together instead.