We Remember: September 11, 2001
On this seventh anniversary of the attacks on the United States, we remember those Unitarian Universalists who died on September 11, 2001. We honor the memories of the more than 3,000 individuals who perished as a result of this violence. And we celebrate the stories of hope and courage which emerged from tragedy to remind us all of the resilience of the human spirit, even in times of terror and despair.
We Remember
Craig Amundson
Keith Coleman
Scott Coleman
Charles Falkenberg
Dana Falkenberg
Zoe Falkenberg
Valerie J. Hanna
Edward Hennessey
Richard Myhre
Todd Ouida
Leslie Whittington
Worldprayer
by Mark Belletini
A typical week.
Near Chendu in China,
blue summer lupine stalks
continue to blossom in high meadows.
In Yozgat, Turkey, women put mint
into their eggplant as their husbands
play backgammon down at the cafe.
In Chamayo, New Mexico,
Dine fathers teach their sons
their Navajo heritage and language
under blue skies.
In Bahhdad and Jerusalem and Gaza,
eyes stream with tears,
as the prayers for the dead are changed.
In India, on the streets of Mumbai,
beggars lift their hands
in the shadow of taxi cabs whisking visitors
from Germany and Holland on their way
to computer training
at the local technical university.
In the forests of Sarawak,
on the island of Borneo,
people who have never heard of Columbus, Ohio, sing a new moon song.
And in Punta Arenas, Chile, the camera flashes
of tourists once again
scare shy penguins off the beach.
A typical week.
Flowers bloom
as the sky itself blooms over all of us.
Sorrow and joy, eating and mourning,
welcoming and learning,
foolishness and isolation.
A typical week
that comes to an end right now
in the heartbeat of this brief silence.
From Sonata for Voice and Silence by Mark Belletini. Copyright 2008, Mark Belletini. Published by Skinner House Books. Used with permission.
Last updated on Thursday, September 11, 2008.
