While we were in New York, Mark and I spend a day walking through Central Park. We had already been to Ground Zero and seen the remembrances and damage there. We had been through the little Colonial-era church nearby that was undamaged in the attack and became a staging area for rescue and clean-up. There is a fence around the church and many of the firemen answering the call to the World Trade Center arrived in their street clothes. When they changed into their gear, they hung their shoes on the top of the fence. At the end of the day many, many pairs of shoes were unclaimed.
In Central Park there is a statue of Hans Christian Anderson that is now dedicated to all the children who lost parents on 9/11. It is a wonderful image of him sitting there with a duck. From the pose, Mark thought he was feeding the duck but I was intrigued by the position of the pair of them and by the size in the writing of the book. After we got some pictures, I hopped up on the little ledge to take a look at the book. The next thing Mark knows, I'm standing there in tears for the first time all trip. Why?
Hans is not feeding the duck. He is reading to him.
Hans Christian Anderson is reading a duck "The Ugly Duckling'.
