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September 11 - A Day of RemembranceSeptember 11, 2001. It is a day that will not be forgotten. It will not be forgotten because it is a day that changed the world. The epicenter, the "ground zero" was here in our midst, but the ripples, in some way, touched people and nations around the globe. It was a day of great loss. There was the loss of life, the loss of relationships, and the loss of property. For some, there was also the loss of feeling safe, the loss of promise, the loss of hope, and the loss of faith.
Tragically, nothing can give us back the tangible things that were lost or taken from us that day. But, if we focus only on what was lost, if we only focus on the terror of that day, if we focus only on getting revenge, it will hold us in a very negative, and hurt-filled place. |
As you prepare to observe the upcoming 11th Anniversary of the day the Towers fell, consider the story of two friends, David Paine and Jay Winuk. David and Jay had worked together in New York City, long before the 9/11 attacks. Jay’s younger brother Glenn, a partner at the prominent national law firm Holland & Knight LLP, was one of the nearly 3,000 people killed on 9/11. For almost 20 years Glenn also was a volunteer firefighter and EMT, specially trained and certified in building collapse rescue operations, working out of the Jericho Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island. When the World Trade Center was attacked, Glenn helped to evacuate his law offices, then raced into the WTC’s South Tower to participate in the rescue efforts. Glenn died in the line of duty along with many others when that building collapsed. His partial remains were found in March 2002, a borrowed first response medical kit by his side. In 2002 they formed the nonprofit group One Day’s Pay in honor of Glenn and all those who perished. The organization was later renamed MyGoodDeed.
The group founded, and now leads the observance of "9/11 Day". 9/11 Day is now an international non-profit movement to observe September 11 every year as a day of charitable service and doing good deeds. It was created soon after 9/11 to provide a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and remind people of the importance of working more closely together in peace to improve our world.
MyGoodDeed’s 9/11 Advisory Board include 20 leaders of prominent organizations representing 9/11 families, first responders, volunteers, and other impacted by the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In 2011, for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, MyGoodDeed, partnered with HandsOn Network, the volunteer activation arm of the Points of Light Institute, to successfully co-lead efforts to organize the single largest day of charitable service in United States history. A record 33 million people engaged in charitable service in observance of 9/11. This year, they are continuing to invite everyone to join them, by doing something positive to honor the day. Their belief is that "Good deeds unite us," and their 9/11 Day is a movement built on people remembering through positive action. To find out more about MyGoodDeed and the 9/11 Day movement, you can go to their website at: http://www.911day.org
As we remember the day, and all of the tragedy, may God continue to comfort your soul, ease your fear, and restore your hope. And in our times of remembrance, let us not just remember the lives that were lost - but also the lives that they lived.
There will be no special services on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, at New Dorp Moravian. Our Sanctuary will be open
during the day for anyone who wishes to come and spend some time in prayer.
The group founded, and now leads the observance of "9/11 Day". 9/11 Day is now an international non-profit movement to observe September 11 every year as a day of charitable service and doing good deeds. It was created soon after 9/11 to provide a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and remind people of the importance of working more closely together in peace to improve our world.
MyGoodDeed’s 9/11 Advisory Board include 20 leaders of prominent organizations representing 9/11 families, first responders, volunteers, and other impacted by the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In 2011, for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, MyGoodDeed, partnered with HandsOn Network, the volunteer activation arm of the Points of Light Institute, to successfully co-lead efforts to organize the single largest day of charitable service in United States history. A record 33 million people engaged in charitable service in observance of 9/11. This year, they are continuing to invite everyone to join them, by doing something positive to honor the day. Their belief is that "Good deeds unite us," and their 9/11 Day is a movement built on people remembering through positive action. To find out more about MyGoodDeed and the 9/11 Day movement, you can go to their website at: http://www.911day.org
As we remember the day, and all of the tragedy, may God continue to comfort your soul, ease your fear, and restore your hope. And in our times of remembrance, let us not just remember the lives that were lost - but also the lives that they lived.
There will be no special services on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, at New Dorp Moravian. Our Sanctuary will be open
during the day for anyone who wishes to come and spend some time in prayer.
