In light of the recent events, as we continue to work on unveiling a new version of the Journey of Hearts website, we are replacing our normal main page with our response to the tragedy and our wish for peace. Our normal home page can be viewed here.
9-11
United in Courage & Grief 

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

--Eleanor Roosevelt
As with so many others around the world, we have been struggling to make some sense of the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the thwarted mission that landed in Pennsylvania. These events will leave us with images--some moving and inspirational, many disturbing and beyond normal human experiences--that will be indelibly etched into our personal and our national psyche. (For a list of our resources start here.)

The wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt helps me to cope reminding us that we gain strength, courage and confidence by experiences which cause us to look fear in the face. Even more so, she reminds us that we can take the next thing that comes along.

We Remember those Lost
 

A blue candle of courage...for all of the rescue workers and those who faced fear.
A red candle of love...for all of the lives lost too soon.
A white candle of peace...for the days still to come...
We light candles in memory of the courage and in love for those who have been lost. We also light a candle in hope for a peaceful future. (To light a candle wand over the top of the candle with the mouse.)
For those who would like to share their thoughts, how they are coping with this tragedy, post a remembrance message, tell their story, share resources that have been helpful, or respond to someone else's message we are opening up the new message forum for Journey of Hearts, "Transformations on the Journey." http://www.amip.org/jofh/guestbook
Personal Reflections
For some reason, on that Tuesday Morning I woke at 5:00 pst. Finally by 6:45 after tossing and turning for over an hour, I got up and turned on the television hoping for some light diversion. Stunned and shocked, I watched the events unfold in real East Coast time. I was "live" as the World Trade Towers collapsed.

This event has been particularly difficult for me since I find myself in the first trimester of a second pregnancy. During a time which should be a joyous occasion and one of celebration, it has become a time of fear and concern for our children as our nation is now in the midst of a war against terrorism that has the potential to wage on though much of my children's early lifetime.

My young 18-month-old daughter has been my light in this time of great darkness. She is much too young to understand much more than "Mommy is not feeling well." She pulls me away from the barrage of television coverage and back into reality, with her laughter and her need to get outside and explore. She manages to know in all of this turmoil when I needed a hug. She is daily reminder for me that despite the tragedy, despite the concerns and the fears, I need to keep moving and keep living. Her curiosity for everything around her, her quest to communicate and inquisitive nature reminds me there are still many reasons to keep going.

Contribution from Journey of Hearts
Those of us who deal with Grief & Loss are not immune to experiencing the emotions. Perhaps because we are more aware of the intense emotions we are more vulnerable to experiencing second hand grief. Fortunately we are also in a position to aid in the healing process by helping explain the emotional response to loss.

To develop resources for this tragedy, I have adapted and updated some of the material on Grief and Loss from a course I taught on the Somatic Aspects of Grief and Loss, as well as writing some original materials that deal with the specific aspects of traumatic loss. I have searched the Journey of Hearts archives that may help visitors to our site understand the intensity of the reactions they may be feeling in response to this tragedy. I have also spent many hours writing new material and researching the Internet for additional resources that may be helpful.

What resulted is a collection of resources for professionals--physicians, nurses, counselors who will be seeing patients in the aftermath of these events and may need to discern if any of their symptoms might be related to psychological aftereffects of this tragedy. In addition, there are also some suggestions and additional resources for parents and those dealing with children helping children to cope with this tragic event.

For the first time in the history of this website, we have been seeing an increase in traffic, so that we will need to upgrade to the next level, so that people can continue to monitor the site. We see this additional cost as our small contribution to healing in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Oh Say does that Star Spangled Banner yet Wave?
O're the land of the Free and the home of the Brave.
Other Resources and Information on this Site:
Why does my heart feel so bad?
What is Different about this Event?
The Healing Effect of Telling the Story
Wake-up Call for the World
Health Concerns for Witnesses 		Blessings, Lyrics, Poems & Quotes
Remembering Our Children
Helping Children to Cope with Tragedy
More Resources
Ways of Helping & Coping
Share your thoughts and insights, post a remembrance message in the new message forum for Journey of Hearts, "Transformations on the Journey."
You are visitor number to this new section.
Page posted October 7, 2001.
In Memory of all those lost and forever missing from the events of September 11, 2001,
the day our world changed.
The ribbon art was created by Alon Cohen. Available at: http://people.bu.edu/xrpnt/ribbons/
All material, unless otherwise specified, is © 1997-2001 by Journey of Hearts A Healing Place in CyberSpace. Information on this site may be shared with others, but is not for general distribution by for-profit ventures.
To contact the Domain Designer email to griefdoc@kirstimd.com  To return to original home page.