Dear friends in Christ Jesus: 

I have been thinking about anniversaries lately. There are multiple reasons why my heart and mind have gone there. Some of my thoughts have been filled with joy and thanksgiving because they have brought to mind my marriage, or birthdays of cherished people. Other anniversaries have brought with them tinges of grief, even a tear because they recount something painful. They are reminders of loss, tragedy, grief. For example the sixteenth anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in late August evokes its own grief every year. It was made worse this year with the destruction of Hurricane Ida on the same date. Lord in your mercy… 

This week we will again stare down some of our worst pain, fear and grief as we come to the twentieth recollection of the events of September 11, 2001. It has made such an impression on us that it has its own shorthand – 9/11. 2977 mortalities. Thousands of injured physically. An...continue reading