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Just as Sept. 11 was unthinkable, Sunday was inevitable: the 10th anniversary of a day that stands alone. In history. In memory.

Three-thousand six hundred fifty-three days have now passed. At 8:46 a.m. — the time when the first plane slammed into 1 World Trade Center — 87,672 hours will have gone by. Another 5,260,320 minutes. Another 315,619,200 seconds.

Once more the families will gather at ground zero, where 2,749 died, and in Washington and in Pennsylvania to pay tribute to the 224 who died there.

Once more, there will be an outpouring of grief. Once more, there will be the sound of bells tolling in mourning. Once more, there will be speeches. Once more, the names will be recited.

But the 10th anniversary will dawn on a city and a nation that has changed immutably, with continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and persistent security worries at home. And no longer is ground zero a scarred reminder of what was, but a symbol of resurgence, with the September 11 National Memorial about to open and four new towers in various stages of construction.

New York got a jittery reminder about security last week with renewed police checks of cars and tracks. The inspections — and the quarter-mile-long traffic jams they created in places — followed unconfirmed reports that Al Qaeda operatives were had been planning an attack to coincide with the anniversary.

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(Source: NY Times)