On this, the twenty-first anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a litany of remembrance:
O God, remember us for good.
Remember all the lives taken from us far too soon.
Remember the ashes that covered everything and choked the air.
Remember the brilliant blue skies on that Tuesday morning.
Remember the final phone calls.
Remember the families whose lives will never be the same.
Remember the children who have grown up without a parent.
Remember the parents who have grown older while their children have not.
Remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, and service canines.
Remember those who escaped;
Remember those who could not.
Remember the heroes and helpers, and the politicians and their promises.
Remember the world before that day.
Remember how everything changed and will never be the same.
Remember the vengeful hatred that floods the senses and robs us of our breath.
Remember the love that fills us and surrounds us and connects us all.
Remember the love that makes us both effortlessly strong and astonishingly vulnerable.
Remember how after the flood, You sent a rainbow and promised us that never again would You destroy the world.
Remember us for our losses and be our Consolation, Holy One.
Remember all this, lest we forget.
Remember us for life and for a remnant of peace.
May the memories of the 2977 souls taken from us on September 11, 2001 be an enduring blessing to us all.
Amen.