Exploration Five: Rebirth

I think that the story that effected me the most was Nick's. Nick's story really impacted me because he lost his mom when he was in high school during the attack on the World Trade Center. I could never imagine losing my mom. My mom is my best friend and I would be so devastated to loose her. Even though Nick's mom had died during the attacks he still felt like she was with him. Nick felt his mom's presence throughout his life, like when he started a new job in a company that she had worked for or when he spoke at her memorial service after her death. When Nick was speaking at the service a baby bird landed on his head the first time he said "my mother." Nick believes that the bird was his mom's way of being with him and saying "it's okay, I'm here with you." Nick described the bird landing on his head by saying he could not explain how it felt for that to happen and he said "There is no doubt in my mind that my mom was there." I think that it was Nick's mom trying to tell him that everything will be okay. I think it was an amazing thing.

The effect of having a time lapse was a pretty powerful thing. It was amazing to see how everyone's lives changed over 8 years. It was amazing to see how people's stages of grieving develop and how the all deal with the aftermath of such a tragic event. The time lapse made the film even more personal because it allowed you to see their lives and to see how they cope with everything in the years following the attack. It really gave you an idea of how they grew and "moved on" from the experience. It was really powerful.

I think what I took from the film was not to take life for granted. It may sound cliche, but it really is important. The 9/11 attacks were unexpected and tragic, the families never would have thought that they would never see their loved ones again and those who died would not have imagined that they were going to die at work that day. I think life is unexpected and you never know what hand you are going to be dealt. Life is a beautiful gift and it is one that should not be taken for granted because you don't know what could happen to you down the road.