(original message sent via email 9/11/23)
Every year my kids and I take flowers to this statue that sits outside of our local library on September 11th. It's a statue we pass by many times throughout the year, but it's always on this day we pause to remember. This statue is in memory of Amy Toyen, a young woman who is from our hometown, who lost her life on September 11, 2001. Amy's life was taken too soon, as were many were on that tragic day.
I bring my kids here because there is value in remembering our past. I share this with you today to invite you to join us to...
pause. breathe. pray.™
May we remember...
...every person whose life was taken too soon.
…every family impacted by the loss of a loved one, who carries the memories of them in their hearts everyday.
…every survivor, and their visible, or invisible wounds.
...how people walked beside one another in their brokenness.
…every selfless soul who ran towards the danger to help others, some surviving, and others giving their life to save someone else's.
…the empathy and the compassion people had for one another.
…we didn’t see one another’s race, ethnicity, religion, political views, etc. That day, we saw each other as the human beings we are.
...we stood beside one another in solidarity.
…and out of this tragedy, we united in love.
By choosing to remember, and keeping the memory alive of those whose lives were taken too soon, like Amy's, we honor their life by letting their story continue to make a difference. And when remembering, may we pray for God to help us learn from the past so that we can do our part to make a better present, and future, for the generations to come.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Mourn with those who mourn
- Romans 12:15