remember

I remember that morning 10 years ago. I remember waking up and hearing that World War III had started. I remember going to my Political Science 1100 class that morning. I remember hearing my professor, a New Yorker, tell us with tears in his eyes that class was canceled - he needed to find out if his loved ones were okay.

I remember another day just 4 months ago, when Jeff and I visited Ground Zero. I remember walking around the construction site where the now completed 9/11 memorial stands. I remember walking into St. Paul's Chapel across the street, the place of healing and comfort where recovery workers stopped to rest between shifts during that dark time in their individual lives as well as our nation's history.

I was saddened to see picture after picture displayed of the victims whose lives were taken in the attacks. However, I also remember the feeling of gratitude for the many more individuals that gave their talents, time, and prayers to lift up the hands that hung down during that trying time. The chapel was covered with paper hands, origami cranes, and other forms of encouragement from around the world, sent by those who wanted to let the people of New York know they were not forgotten.


These memorials serve as a wonderful reminder to me about the potential we each have to be a force for good in this world. No act of kindness is ever wasted, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may be. Truly it is our responsibility to be the hands of God on the earth. As Marjorie Pay Hinckley said, "We all have a responsibility to make a difference, to be an influence, to lift someone." May we all strengthen our resolve to do just that.