A Vision Of Hope
feelings, and the acknowledgement of our mutual fear and grief, that we gain the strength to overcome them." What an enlightened statement!
I watched the telethon, through which our most revered artists, singers and actors gave of their time and considerable talent to raise money for those who were devastated by the attack. Again, I was filled with pride and even a sense of awe at their selflessness. The tales of courage and heroism were just so awesome and encouraging, and when Paul Simon sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I just sobbed. I wanted to go out and buy an American flag, I was so proud of our nation!
I watched the Spirit Of America Memorial Service on live TV on Sunday, September 23rd, live from Yankee Stadium, and was just blown away by the speeches and the prayers delivered by politicians and religious representatives of the most prominent religions in the US. I was so very touched by the speech given by the Mayor of New York in which he said, "They must be proud!" I think that my own grieving, at the loss of my own husband a year ago, was facilitated by that emotional and heart felt speech.
I was deeply moved by the Moslem part of the service where prayers and admonitions were offered by the Moslem priests, in Arabic and in English. I was amazed at their vocalizations, which were so musical, so stirring, and so poetic! I saw their religious faith as being akin to my own, something I would have never known about if had not been for that broadcast. I was also deeply moved to see people from all races and religions holding hands, hugging one another, and displaying for the whole nation, and the world, to see that we are indeed one people!
One of the ministers who spoke that day said: "We will get through this together!" and I believe that. But when the Inner City Children's choir sang, We Shall Overcome, and everyone stood, hand in hand, tears dripping from their eyes as they sang, for all the world to see, "We are not afraid, today", I thought, listen to this, Taliban! Listen to us, Osama bin Laden! We stand together, as one nation! You will not beat us down! All you have succeeded in doing is to make us stronger!
Then, another minister spoke about how the spirit of America cannot be broken, of how glad he was the Lady Liberty was left unscathed, for She is the true symbol of who we are! "We are made up of every race on earth," he said, "and when you
Latest Articles