We had just moved from Houston to Florida in the summer of 2001. Our daughters were in school - kindergarten, 6^th and 8^th grade - and I was at home. Being new to the area, I had no real friends at the time, but I got a call out of the blue from someone I had met at an event. I am not sure what we were talking about when I heard her suddenly exclaim, “A plane just hit one of the twin towers!” Had she not called, I would have been oblivious to everything that happened that morning because I rarely have the TV on. I rushed to our TV room and plopped myself on the couch in front of it. Like thousands of others, I was stunned as I watched the twin towers come down and then even more stunned when the Pentagon was hit. And I was alone. My husband, Greg, was out of town. In fact, he was scheduled to come home out of Chicago’s O’Hare airport that very morning. When all this was happening, Greg was in the air on an American Airlines flight.

Like all other airborne flights in the early hours of 9/11, his plane was grounded immediately. He called me as soon as he was able to make contact to tell me he had rented the last minivan available at the Indianapolis airport and was driving straight home through the night. If you remember, life seemed so uncertain on that morning. People actually purchased cars to drive home from distant airports! Having heard from Greg, I then went to my daughters’ schools to make sure they knew their dad was safe.

There is much more to tell about that day. Everyone has a story. Many of my seminary comrades are New York City natives, and every one of them experienced a deeply personal grief on that morning and during the days to come. It was such an unusual time. Our world was completely rocked. 

Ten years later, we honor the fallen by remembering. Remembering is a healthy thing. It keeps us grounded and allows us to acknowledge that which has come before us - the people and events which directly impact our very lives today. Remembering is not the place to get stuck though. We must move through the memories to release the past - every way in which we have been wronged - and then “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” [Romans 12:2]. It’s a tremendous challenge to balance these three. It calls us to allow the past to be - to neither sweep it under the rug nor embellish its significance - and to free the self of its clutch by choosing anew. That’s the path of the spiritual journeyer. We can always create a new and better world.

A 10-year anniversary always gives us the opportunity to measure ourselves. So where have you traveled since 9/11? For me, I feel like a completely different person. Ten years ago, I had just begun the path to become a Licensed Unity Teacher. And now I find myself a year into answering Spirit’s call to pioneer and lead a new church. How did that happen?! It seems like a big leap, but when you consider the 10-year period, it is just like anything else. When we say yes to the spiritual path – TRULY doing the work and being willing to live in process – we all evolve in magnanimous ways. It doesn’t happen by just starting a meditation practice or by going to church every Sunday. It happens through commitment to the work of Spirit. The proverbial Red Sea parts when we commit to finding our God-center and our voice, and ‘proclaiming the good news’ by living it in the world and inviting others to partake.

As we look into the world and observe the events since 9/11, we can't help but see there is opportunity to 'proclaim the good news' and advance the conversation of Love in the world. We are here to do it. One way ALUC is advancing this conversation is through our monthly Contemplative Interfaith Services that begin this week. Spirit nudged this into manifestation and interestingly, our first service coincides nicely with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. Our services will honor each of the major world faith traditions and also provide a sacred setting for contemplation, reflection and meditation. We know that there are as many ways to experience the Divine as there are people. We will gather together to enjoy Oneness in Spirit while experiencing diversity in thought, belief, music and practice. This will be the start of a new decade…of Love, Compassion and Understanding….and Renewal. 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds." Romans 12:2