This is the second year in a row where I have been in NYC for 9/11. The two beams of light coming from the bases of where the Twin Towers were couldn't escape my attention; I have never seen lights reach so high into the sky in quite the same way. They're a reminder of what happened but also a sign of recovery and hope. And yet, I am blinded by a conception of what this day has come to mean. I could never imagine what it was like to experience this day first-hand back in 2001.