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9/11 and Beyond

By
Real Estate Technology with Rentec Direct

I don't have much to offer today for tidbits/insight in the way of real estate or property management software, as I'm distracted.  Instead, I wanted to connect with the members on Active Rain and exchange some meaningful stories, as a way to humanize our daily work and paths.  

Twin towers from Ellis Island
I remember my first trip to NY, February before 9/11. I felt like a kid who had just left home, and in a way I was. NY holds a bit of everything in her hands and I was wide-eyed girl in awe. Wandering through Central Park, peaking in The Blue Note, finding late-night treats in The Village, taking a taxi to Harlem, spending all day at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, climbing to the top of lady Liberty and reading about the waves of people seeking a new way of life through Ellis's shore.

A man I met briefly that trip lost his life seven months later on 9/11. I think about him every time I think of NY and that fantastic trip I took. For my cousin's birthday, he muscled us to the front of the line in a hot new club and this small-town girl felt like a movie-star for a night.  He's forever etched in my memory with the pulsing sounds of an underground club, feather boas, and endless dancing and laughter.  

It's hard to believe there's a beautiful side story to 9/11, but I have one.  My cousin, whom I had traveled to NY to visit that February, and her husband, met inadvertently because of this man I mention above. They both came, as strangers but friends of his family, to help his widow prepare the nursery for his unborn child. I remember my cousin telling me of the sadness all around her and how desperate she felt not knowing what to do to help anyone.  But, from that sad day, and because of the loss of her friend, she met her future husband and now they have a beautiful, healthy daughter and wonderful family.  Yes, from the ashes, new life is born. We never truly get to know what our impact is on this earth.

What do you carry with you from that day, 11 years ago?

 

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Rentec Direct Property Management Software

Janell is a member of Rentec Direct, a web-based property management software program designed to help streamline tenant criminal and credit checks and the day-to-day operations of landlords and property managers.  You'll find many other useful articles like this on the Rentec Direct Blog.

 

Tim Lorenz
TIM LORENZ - Elite Home Sales Team - Mission Viejo, CA
949 874-2247

I carry a strong sense of national pride as to our ability to handle a wicked evernt.

Sep 11, 2012 09:18 AM
Catherine Ulrey
Keller Williams Capital City - Salem, OR
Equestrian and Acreage Property Specialist

I remember being glued to the tv, taking in all of the news that day.  I also remember the panic concerning my daughter, in third grade, not knowing if I should pick her up immediately.  (on the west coast)

Sep 11, 2012 09:30 AM
Janell Kittleson
Rentec Direct - Grants Pass, OR
Rentec Direct

Yes, Tim, it's wondferful when good can be taken away from the worst of situations.  I know what you mean, Catherine, as I was in Portland, OR, that day and all day at work we were in sort of trance, feeling helpless as we watched TV.  I remember being in a restaurant for lunch and someone standing up and asking everyone if we would just be silent.  

Sep 11, 2012 11:43 AM