9/11

I woke up in the desert yesterday and my thoughts were to the place I call my homeland, the city of my birth, the land of skyscrapers, the town that never sleeps. The pain is still there, seven years on. The loss still affects me, affects my dreams, my soul. There's no need to go into the politics of it. That battle is still being fought, will be fought, for time to come. This is personal.

The lives that were lost. The lives that were changed forever. Yet we not only persevere, we triumph. We build a new age with the spirit of those who are gone, but still with us. My fellow New Yorkers, strong, proud, indomitable. If you don't know about my hometown, then let me tell you something: We can take a punch-- and we know how to hit back.

Everyday we wore our skyline like a diadem. Those jewels were stolen from us. They can never be replaced. They were heirlooms, precious family inheritances. But we will wear our jewels beautifully again. We will shine brighter than anyone could ever imagine.

I write this for my family, for my mother and father, brothers and sisters, in-laws, nieces and nephews. You are my heart and soul. Your spirit flows through my veins. Each day, all these years long, you are with me in the desert. When I see the city of my birth, I see you. And I love you. And I love New York.

I always will.