Memorial...

"Mijn Platte Land, Mijn Vlaanderland!"

Even in the Woodland, we remember innocence lost. In the historic cemetery, outside my living room window, I walk. Tulips, like silent sentinels, watch over graves of those long gone. On that September 11, images of unimaginable horror and death pummeled us over the air waves. Shock gave way to raw emotion. Even in the forest, the very trees joined in the communal primal scream! It seemed a Hell of fire and blood engulfed us in darkness.

But even in the darkness, there was Light. There were acts of angelic heroism, neighborly love, and random acts of mercy and kindness. Strangers helping strangers. Entire communities coming together to pray. or merely to be present to one another. On the Island of Newfoundland, in a moment in time, when time itself seemed to be at its biblical end, the ancient bond of a shared humanity prevailed, citizens of Newfoundland embraced all those stranded in planes, not as Canadians helping those from the U.S. and other nations, but as brothers and sisters embracing family!

In the face of pure Evil, and devastating uncertainty, Mercy and Unity prevailed.

As I write these words, I stumble and falter. Uncontrollable tears fall on the page. But, these tears are not to be wiped away as some sort of encumbrance. These tears are my gentle rain. Yes, we must always remember! Our lives are intertwined, inter-connected. Your pain is my pain. Your joy is my joy. In honoring the lives and sacrifice of others, we honor all life and sacrifice.

The weeping willow by the cemetery gate is old, so old in fact, that it makes me feel young again. Life is pure gift. I run out of the cemetery for the sheer exhilaration of running. The sprint home forces intake of breath. My chest expands as my lungs send the message to my brain to take in more air. I run! I remember those who died, needlessly, tragically, painfully. I run! I will never forget.

We must always remember. We must, and we will. As we honor life, as we help those in need, as we treat each other with the dignity and respect with which we ourselves wish to be treated, we remember.

I am home now. The sun is shining. The sky is a baby-blue. The trees are green. There is a soft breeze. We are Home. We are One. And, we are at our collective best, when we are Love.

Pax, Shalom, Namaste.