911 Volunteers
As a nation and global community takes time to pause this weekend to mark the anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, we take a moment to see how our lives have changed.
Everyone has their “moment”- some more direct than others- but everyone, everyone, especially in the U.S. were impacted on that morning.
It brings to mind waking up to calls telling me to ‘turn on the TV’, “what is going on?”, then the second plane hits and the truth settles in. A nation is under attack, sent reeling.
What rose from this day was a mixture of sense of service and sense of fear.
In 10 years we have seen changes in everyone’s daily lives. From the planes we travel, the water we drink, the borders we cross, and the people we interact with. It causes many people to stop and re-think, “that plane is flying too close to that building”, “was that an earthquake or a bomb?”
A sense of service that was birthed out of the event meant for harm, created a calling that we are all connected. That is what led this girl from Texas and a boy from Oklahoma to drop everything and go volunteer in New York City a month after the attacks. Volunteer with faith-based organizations and the American Red Cross to serve those who were in the trenches searching for survivors and clearing the rubble.
That is what leads all of us to continue to work together to try bridge gaps of understanding. That is what led to creating The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. A day that is designed to provide a productive and respectful way to honor those who perished and rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that swept our nation after 9/11 to help meet the challenges we face today. http://www.serve.gov/
sept11.asp
This is what can bring all communities and neighbors together and prosper together.
As I reflect, I remember three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love. The greatest of these is Love. Love wins.
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