Flaming Chalice symbol

Richmond & Putney Unitarian Church

A LIBERAL RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY IN SOUTH WEST LONDON

From Hart to Hearts

Ten Years Later: A Prayer for 9/11

after remarks by Randy Becker

This day is like any other day,

except that it isn’t.

The sun rises, people wake,

water boils,

there’s coffee and tea,

porridge and toast,

a full cooked breakfast perhaps.

We look out on the day and wonder what might

come of it.

This day is like any other day,

except that it isn’t.

Ten years ago,

the buzz of a huge city

was brought to a crashing halt.

Planes and smoke and terror,

the mad attempt to save

this one or that one,

anyone who could be saved.

Glass and steel shattering,

lives disintegrating,

as it fell into twisted

horrific history.

This day is like any other day,

except for the terrible

memories,

the cancers that linger,

the grief that will

never

end for some.

And this day is like any other:

we wake, and hope for the best,

we wake, and say a little prayer:

May all be well.

May the grieving find comfort.

May the afflicted feel care,

be healed in whatever way healing can come.

May those filled with anger find peace,

may the violent find peace,

may we all find peace.

This day is like any other,

and our prayers are still

as they are everyday,

as we seek to open in compassion for all beings,

as we hold a vision of peace and comfort and love

for the world, so weary, so weary.

It’s just today, like any other day, except that it isn’t quite,

we remember a little more,

and pray a little harder,

‘never again, we pray, never again.’

So may it be.


~ Rev Linda Hart