Images and other signs of support received from friends across the world.



Today the words echoed throughout Toronto: "In honor of our friends lost on September 11th, please step out your doors at 7pm and light a candle". Being undaunted by the fact that I had to work from 4-9pm, I stuffed an unused white candle in my purse before leaving home. At 6:55, I put up a closed sign on the lotto both, and made my way out of the mall. Many people don't know it, but there is a beautiful spot right in the middle of downtown, I headed here. Surrounded by old buldings and families, I lit my candle. Just as the flame took to the wick, the church's clock struck seven times. All around me candles were lit up, like tiny fireflies hovering in the early evening. With closed eyes I recited the Lord's Prayer and then prayers of my own. Suddenly the quiet downtown park was gone, and it was replaced by candles, lights that shimmered together around the world. The reason they were lit: peace and love. For one sparkling second, there were no differences among those at the park. No race divided us, no age sequestred us. We were one people with one goal: beat this thing. As shivers ran up my back, and tears rose to my eyes, I realized that for this one, perfect, beautiful minute, I had finally come to terms with what had happened. See, for this one small moment, I became aware that this could be beaten, and without a doubt, WILL be beaten. I expect more tears to be shed over this tragedy, but I know they will no longer be the same, for within their salty drizzle, hope has now emerged.

~ Author:  Samantha, Canada~




Events in New York and Washington this week appear to have proved just how vulnerable we all are. I can't easily argue with that. There aren't any barriers that can't somehow be breached by some well-executed attack or another... whether by bullet, blade, missile or hijacked jet. At some level, we're all vulnerable at some time or other... whether to attack or just to fear itself. I certainly saw a lot of that this afternoon, as people tried to consider the ramifications of what has just happened.

But it's a funny thing about vulnerability. I have felt scared and vulnerable more times than I can remember, but I know it's part of who I am. All the best parts of me, the parts that allow me to touch those I care about on the deepest levels, the parts that allow me to produce my best work, all come from the same sensitivity that makes me vulnerable.

Being vulnerable is actually what makes me strong, and always has been (even when I don't feel it). There is nothing strong or brave about being a fortress - only emptiness, coldness, detatchment...

By being vulnerable, we allow ourselves to feel - and there is nothing braver in this world than that.

There are people in this world who would tell us that such sentiments are bourgeois, phoney - the ideological luxuries of pampered elitism. They will tell us that we have no right to claim such feelings, that we only do so through the pain of others... and that one set of suffering ultimately justifies another set of senseless murders if it makes us all sit up and discard the most precious of our values.

I don't claim to believe we live in a perfect world, but I do believe that some values are too precious to lose, and that these are the values we need to hold on to when the world seems to be crumbling around us. It may be that the eyes of the dragon see us as weak or foolish for retaining them, but dragons come and go, and their destructive fires can never build anything as precious as a soul with the ability to feel, no matter how deeply-fuelled the flame might be.


               ~Author:   John E. Hulme, Liverpool,  UK~




I have thought and thought about the events of September 11 and I have come up with a pretty simplistic view. Terror hit us with a sucker punch. He hit us when we were not looking and murdered over 6,000 men, women and children. Well, now we are looking. And when we see him again it is either us or him. We cannot talk ourselves out of this. We cannot buy our way out. We cannot pass a United Nations resolution and make it go away. It is us staring in the face of terror and not blinking. And by us, I mean me as well. If we give in now, we will never recover.

So, my solution is to hit terror in his own yard. Let's go over to his house and call him out and fight him. If he wins, I'll be quiet. But I have no thought of losing. I will win. I will kill terror. And it will be an example for everyone on the face of the earth that if you sucker punch me, you will pay! If others who are forewarned are accidentally hurt in the process, I'm really sorry, but my country is greater than any loses you might suffer. Terror must not, will not, cannot, be allowed to win. Not now. Not ever! Winston Churchill was quoted as saying that the English in WWII would fight on the beaches, in the air, and in the cities (my paraphrase), but the enemy must be defeated. I believe that is also true of us today.

I think we are doing the right thing at the moment. Building a coalition, freezing bank accounts and sending our own spies out to find terror who is now hiding in a cave and is not laughing quite as loudly as before. I predict he will not have to wait long. We will find him and we will dig him out with whatever means at our disposal, including tactical nuclear devices. Terror has chosen to fight. We will answer the call. And we will knock that chip off his shoulder. There should be no mistake. This is a fight to the death. Either terror will win or free people will win. The loser will die. I will not be the loser.

Those who say we should apologize for being such a mighty nation and that we flaunt our riches have guilty consciences and have not worked for what we have here. They should go live in Siberia. Those who say we should try to understand the face of terror are spineless and should be on the next boat to South Africia. Those who say that we should build a case to be tried in a court of law should be reminded of Judge Roy Bean who was the Law west of the Pecos in Texas. He said that anyone who stole a man's horse deserved a fair trial then should be taken out back and hanged. I side with him. This is not a criminal case. It is war. If we don't treat it as such we will get another sucker punch. I have had one to many of those. Let's go get them and kill them, dust off our hands, bury our dead and we will be a mightier and closer nation than before.


~Author:  Dale, USA ~





                       

















































I was sent a link to this page via email and I could not help but adding it here.
It shows pictures of people all over the world showing their respects to those affected by
the events of September 11, 20001.

The World Reacts

Thank you to all our friends all over the world.
They say an image is worth a thousand words, if these images don't bring a knot to your throat, nothing will.







We have all seen this abosultely gorgeous and inspiring image through the Internet.
I have even received various contributions with it on it which I hope you have enjoyed.

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Commercial use of this image without expressed permission of the designer is prohibited.



This breathtaking image was created for the Red Cross  Relief Fund.
The designers are appreciative of the admiration we all have for such beautiful artwork;
however, the fact remains that this is a copyrighted piece of art.
It should not be used without expressed consent on anything for sale
and when used  on personal memorial pages credit should be given where due.

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