September 11, 2001
One Year Later: Picking Up the Pieces 

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love.

No other recent event in the history of our country, except the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor has numbed, shocked, horrified, angered, enraged, and unified most of a nation, as did the events of September 11th. The variety of tributes planned by the media and communities around the country large and small is an indication of the impact even one year later of this tragic event.

In the days following September 11th the Journey of Hearts^TM site received an unprecedented increase in traffic from people searching from answers to the tragedy and trying to heal from their grief. Journey of Hearts^TM responded to the tragedy with our 9-11: United in Courage & Grief resource section to aid those who would helping patients, friends, family and children cope with this tragic event.

It will take time and energy to be healed
from this most tragic community wound.
For the families of the victims there will be only grief and despair.
For us as a community there can be healing...
by helping those who suffer and are in pain.

To commemorate this year anniversary we are publishing a poem partially written in the early days following September 11, 2001 and just recently rediscovered and finished entitled "Life Goes On." In addition from a new section in progress "On Surviving" Surviving Tragedy - September 11, 2001 that describes how surivivors cope with the recent public example of tragedy. An article written during the year on "Dealing with Sudden, Accidental or Traumatic Death" may be beneficial to helping people cope. Perhaps the most fitting remembrances can still be found in the Blessings, Lyrics, Poems & Quotes originally compiled for the 9-11: United in Courage & Grief resources.

Use of Journey of Hearts^TM Resources
In the past year we have discovered that the Journey of Hearts^TM resources were being used to help in the healing process following the attack:

An excerpt from the poem, "Blaze" was used by Librarian and passionate part-time artist, Felice Sacks, as part of his silk screen print created for the Corcoran Art School in Washington, DC, in his interpretations of the September 11th tragedy. A picture of his image can be seen at "Rising from Ashes."

Journey of Hearts Poem "The Messenger" was featured on memorial websites and in several different resources to help people cope. Unfortunately it was frequently quoted as "Anonymous" and did not include a reference to our website. I was able to find the poem used in the following:

- "The Messenger" poem is one of the "Poems & Prayers" included on the NYFD Widows Message and Support Board.
- "The Messenger" was also featured in the October 2001 Newsletter from the Amelia Center in the newsletter devoted to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

Use of Graphics in a pamphlet of disaster awareness for Catholic parish leaders.

Use of collection of 9-11 poems & lyrics.

Pain falls drop by drop upon the heart until,
in our own despair, against our will,
comes wisdom.

Life is very different in the aftermath of these events. We have seen with the passage of a year this incident has left an lasting imprint on our personal and national psyche. Images of terror and inspiring stories of courage have been indelibly etched into our memories. This tragedy has reshaped how we think about ourselves, our community, our country and our world. We have learned that life is very short and very precious. Against our will, out of dispair has come wisdom. We can only wish that out of the tragedy has emerged love, hope and healing.

What really matters now is love...
that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows us to rise.
Strength, love, courage, love, kindness, love. That is really what matters.
There has always been evil, and there will always be evil,
but there has always been good, and there is good now.