Each one of us has memories of September 11th, 2001 etched in our minds. I can remember clearly where I was the moment before hearing of the devastating news and then feeling the wind knocked out of me and a growing sense of horror as the events continued to unfold through out the day.

My heart is with any of you who suffered the loss of a family member, friend, colleague or acquaintance on September 11th. Americans and citizens the world over united in mourning after the attacks. What was even more remarkable was the outpouring of service and generosity that was experienced in light of the tragedy. It was as if our hearts had been broken open.

I have some friends and family members who live in New York City. None of them worked in the World Trade Center but what if. . . scenarios kept running through my mind. I had real anxiety until I could hear their voices and know that they were alive and unharmed. My best friend from Jr. High School settled in Manhattan after going to Columbia for college. She volunteered on September 12th, 2001 and I would like to share with you an excerpt from an email that she sent to me and members of her family. She gave me her permission to do so.

I was at the Chelsea Piers athletic/entertainment complex on the Hudson at 23rd street. What is usually, I think, a film stage where the TV show Spin City is shot, was a trauma center. I got there at around 8:30 and I think if I'd been half an hour later I would have been turned away. I spent the day, along with the rest of the unskilled volunteers, receiving and sorting donations, carrying cases of water and Gatorade and boxes of food into ambulances, vans and U-hauls that were running down to ground zero to the rescue workers, police and fire fighters working down there, and from about 12 until 6 I worked with a small group of people at a police tape at the edge of the center of operations taking in donations from other volunteers acting as runners from the outer edge of the complex, turning away dozens of people who had somehow gotten past the people at the outer edge and just wanted to help, and keeping out any press and anyone with a camera. For a while I was turning away doctors, social workers, people with unusual language skills, just because we were so overrun with volunteers we were tripping over each other.

The outpouring of help from New Yorkers was astounding. We had so many donations of food we were told to turn people away and tell them to go feed a cop on the street or a homeless person. By about 4:00, I heard, most of the cops on the streets had piles of food and water -- on ice, we got, probably literally, tons of ice -- beside them on the street.

Understandably, many people were upset and angry to be turned away, but there was already a good chance much of the food donated would be going to waste. At about 9:00 we started getting requests for more Gatorade. Someone told the press who were gathered outside and minutes later we were inundated with Gatorade. It was like that all day, my coworkers and I would suddenly get tons of people with what seemed to be almost random donations, who were surprised when we seemed unsure of what to do with, for example, bags of cell phone rechargers, and told us, "well, I just saw someone here on TV saying that's what they need, cell phone rechargers".

The people I worked with all had similar feelings: gratitude that we had something to do to feel useful however insignificant the capacity; frustration that we couldn't do more either because we were unskilled or because there was no use for us even with skills; regret at having to turn away people just like us who, it was clear, needed to feel helpful as much as we did; and sickness whenever we saw someone who was obviously there to find out about a missing loved one. I definitely feel like I was there for myself more than for anyone else and that I probably got more out of what I did than anybody at the scene did, but when we were released by a guy from FEMA he said that we were apparently the best organized of all the crisis centers outside of hospitals, and we were, I think, the farthest downtown, so I hope that means we were able to get something done.

The reason that I share my friend's experience with you is as a reminder of how New York City was transformed. Imagine an athletic/entertainment complex filled with volunteers and donations. If my friend had arrived a moment later, she too might have been sent away. So many people were moved to service, wanting to make a difference in their community, offering of their time, skills and willing simply to lend a hand. So often people go hungry on the streets of New York. This time the outpouring of food was so great that rescue workers, police officers, and firefighters had piles on the sidewalk on ice and people were encouraged to feed the homeless. Imagine, people so attuned to one other's needs that the moment an item was sought, an abundance would suddenly appear!

This spirit of generosity spread nationwide with people donating money to the Red Cross and other service organizations. So many people went to donate blood that the blood banks could not handle the volume.

Our hearts were broken open. The devastation brought into focus the true values of life. That week I received and placed more phone calls than usual. Having mortality brought into such sharp focus moved me to reach out to my loved ones and friends. It was reported that many weddings and ceremonies of union occurred after September 11th because people knew that they could no longer take one another for granted and so felt motivated to commit themselves in love to another person. Since all Americans experienced the same tragedy, there was also a tenderness and friendliness to strangers as our common humanity was so real.

Many Americans also felt that they could no longer take this country for granted. When I arrived to serve as your minister in September of 2000, no flags flew in this Sanctuary. However, the Sunday after September 11th, 2001 these two flags suddenly appeared where they had obviously been hung sometime before. Our hearts were broken open with pride for what our nation stands for-- the values of freedom and liberty for all.

There is however a shadow-side to this nationalism. A number of hate crimes and acts of violence were committed against Arab and Middle Eastern people in this country, many of them American citizens in their own right. Also to this day there are a large number of prisoners being detained at Guantanamo Bay without due process of law. Now, it is important for our government to seek safety and security by investigating and arresting those involved in terrorist organizations. However, I strongly believe that it is against our democratic principles to deport and detain suspected terrorists without evidence or charges for indefinite amounts of time. I question the Bush administration's attempt to bypass the criminal justice system by calling for special military tribunals with the rationalization that this is a time of war and therefore Americans need not observe legal norms in the treatment of people he has called "enemy combatants", people who should be innocent until proven guilty.

Now, this is my personal opinion, not the stand of this church or this congregation and as always, I welcome an exchange of ideas. However, the reason that I make this stand today is because America's invulnerability has been shaken. We thought that we were protected by two oceans and suddenly symbols of power and prosperity have been shattered. However, if in our longing for safety and security, civil liberties are compromised then the American flag we so proudly wave will no longer stand for freedom.

The other flag that flies in this Sanctuary is that of Earth Day. On its blue background is a beautiful photograph of the earth taken from outer space. Like in the prayer by UUA President Bill Sinkford it serves as a reminder to "define our national interests in a way that acknowledges we share a single destiny with all our neighbors on this small blue planet". I pray that the Bush Administration will heed the advice of the United Nations and not declare war on Iraq.

On the one-year anniversary of September 11th, people have gathered to remember and to pray. These memorials have taken many forms. One of the most beautiful is the Wall of Hope: a mosaic of tiles created by more than 10, 000 Rhode Island residents of all ages, races, religions and cultures. Members of this congregation and community painted tiles during our Spring Fair in the park across the way. Thanks to Marsha Snider and Ben Kiracofe who completed our coming of age program last year. The tiles have since been installed in Waterplace Park and the Providence Journal Building in Providence. I highly recommend that you go to see these colorful images of hope: flowers, flags, hearts, hands, peace doves, religious symbols, bridges, the globe, and many more. In front of the installation is a granite slab engraved with the following words:

THE MESSAGE OF THE WALL OF HOPE IS CLEAR
WE MAY BE AFRAID BUT WE WILL NOT LIVE IN FEAR
WE MAY BE ANGRY
BUT WE WILL NOT LET ANGER DIVIDE OUR COMMUNITY
WE MAY BE SADDENED BY OUR LOSS
BUT WE WILL NEVER FORGET THE LIVES OF THOSE WE HOLD SO DEAR
WE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT OF HOPE

Let us allow our living to open us;
Never delaying the kind word, the generous act;
And working at all times to preserve the values of freedom and justice.