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You
look at people, and you look at their eyes, and you know the frustration,
you know the sorrow they have, and yet it kind of in one way gives
you a little strength. It gives you the will to
do this
here, because it lightens your heart. It makes you feel great
.
When you see all the volunteer workers, when you have the opportunity
to go over to the Salvation Army tent, or over to the Red Cross,
or you stop into the church and you see everybody wanting to help
you, it just gives you a feeling. If they are willing to do this,
how could I not want to do something. You know what I mean? They
just give of themselves. And for me, it's one of the most rewarding
things I've ever experienced in my life.
Anthony Palmeri
New York Department of Sanitation
Like I said, it's emotional even to talk about it, but I'm glad
I came. This forever, forever changed my life, and hopefully it
will make me a better person. And that's what I attribute to this
experience down here. The fact that I think I've become a better
person and I've met some wonderful people down here.
Now
I look at life and I want to appreciate what little I have, and
I want to hold it dear to my heart. And I'm going to try to enjoy
it. Spend more time with my wife and my family and my friends.
And not take too many things too seriously, and not let the little
things irk me or upset me, and just try to dismiss them and go
on with my life. And hopefully enjoy whatever time I have left
on this earth. I plan to retire soon. That's one decision I've
made, and I want to enjoy myself.
Joe Bassetti
New York Department of Sanitation
For the first time in months, I felt myself wondering if we would
ever heal from this tragedy. Would New Yorkers be okay? Would
the workers be okay? Would I?
That's
when I heard it - a rustling noise, and a light and cheery chirp.
It seemed to be coming from above me, so I stopped and looked
up into the gnarled old tree I had wandered under. This tree too
had debris in it, bunched up in half a dozen places where the
branches were close together, like fingers that had reached out
and grabbed their prize and were now unwilling to let go. To my
astonishment, those bits and pieces of debris had literally been
transformed - made new - and were being used by the birds in their
nests.
And
you could hear the birds chirping to each other with joy. They
had no idea that this debris was from a tragic and destructive
event.
All they knew was that they had been given material they could
use to build their nests, the safe place they would use to hatch
and rear their young.
I
could feel the tears falling down my cheeks as I stood there in
awe and wonder. I realized that somehow, everything was going
to be alright.
Sister Grace
St. Paul's Staff, Ground Zero, New York
It made it feel like a breakfast room table, where people were
sitting around in their socks and talking about what the day was
whether
that was how many machines were broken or how many bodies they'd
found, or id tags, or I'm still looking for my sister. These construction
guys are out there looking too, for people that they knew. It
was enormous to see us change like that. These big burly men and
all these volunteers were able to finally let go of all these
barricades we'd been asked to put up for so long. We were allowed
to help each other. And love each other. And that was it.
Katherine Avery
St. Paul's Staff, Ground Zero, New York
For me, I think I look at people a little differently.
My biggest thing is I looked at the volunteers in a different
way. I used to think of the Salvation Army as someone who stands
in front of a store at Christmas time and rings a bell. I knew
the Red Cross did things. To what extent I really didn't understand.
After experiencing them, and seeing how unselfish they are, and
later on, coming to St. Paul's and seeing the volunteers here
from all over the country, it just taught me that
there's
a lot more good people than bad people. If we can each convey
that little bit that we have inside of us to each other, maybe
what I say will impact Joe, and what Joe says will impact another
person. If that little chain could just keep on going, and [we
could] just be a little more tolerable of each other, I think
it could just really, really help.
It
was good. It was a healing. So that tragedy opened up another
door for a lot of people, and if that could just keep going. To
me it just gives everybody a sense that I live in a good place.
It's got to keep on going.
Anthony Palmeri
New York Department of Sanitation
I was kind of skeptical
about the youth of America, but this whole incident has changed
my life. So many young people, teenagers in fact,
have come in and volunteered - beautiful people. [They] have given
of themselves willingly, and are getting nothing in return, just
the mere fact that they were helping, and their help is really
appreciated. I think I can speak for most of the workers. Without
the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, all the churches, and all the
volunteers who have given of themselves, this whole process wouldn't
have worked
Joe Bassetti
New York Department of Sanitation
If this opportunity has arisen, and you have the opportunity to
give of yourself so sacrificially, fear, is of course, involved.
But fear is not the reason not to go. God gives us these opportunities
sometimes once in a lifetime, and if you don't take it, you could
wake up one day and regret forever that you didn't take that opportunity.
My
hope
if we can help even one person then it was worth it....
If we can help one person get through this, work through this
completely, and be okay, then I think [the effort] was worth it.
If we can help a thousand then that's God's work.
Katherine Avery
St. Paul's Staff, Ground Zero, New York
I've
learned a lot about good and evil. I've learned a lot about the
power of prayer. I never knew anything about Episcopalians or
Presbyterians, or gays, or people with nuts and bolts through
their cheeks, or those Broadway people, but now I know them all.
We're not the heroes. They are the heroes. They've cried and prayed
out loud for me. I never thought I'd have a family like this one.
Joseph Bradley
Operating Engineer
One
of my favorite banners that has emerged here at St. Paul's Chapel
is a red banner with one word on it, one large word anyway, and
the word is "Courage." I love that banner so much that
when people started signing it on the fence, I wanted to take
it off the fence, because I didn't want it to be signed. I wanted
it to remain intact just the way it was created. But people have
signed it, and I think it's all the more special now. The reason
I bring up the Courage banner is because down at the bottom right-hand
corner of that banner is a quotation by Anne LaMott that says,
"Courage is fear that's said its prayers."
It's okay to have fear.
It's quite natural to have fear. It's very human. But we're called
to a different place. We're called to live a life
of love and not of fear. God calls us forth from that place. God
invites us to offer our fears and say our prayers, so that we
too might be encouraged and empowered to take that next step.
It's never easy, or at least, rarely is it easy. But I trust that
God is at work even now, leading you into the next chapter of
your life.
The Rev. Lyndon Harris
Priest- in-charge, St. Paul's Chapel, New York
Copyright 2002 ©Courtney V. Cowart
Many of the preceding voices can be heard at The Washington
National Cathedral's September 11, 2002, service "Voices
from 9-11: A Vigil of Faith, Hope and Love," also featuring
composer/producer Gary Malkin, singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen
Chapman, and vocal artist Rachel Bagby, available by Web cast
at http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral
Hope
and Courage banners designed by Jessica Stammen.
Photography Krystyna Sanderson/ Krystyna Photography.
Krystyna Sanderson, a fine art and commercial photographer,
photographed the relief project at St. Paul's Chapel, New York
City, one block from Ground Zero, over a period of nine months.
The photos include images of police, firefighters, national guard,
engineers and construction workers, as well as clergy and round-the-clock
shifts of volunteers. Photographs from the series have appeared
in Spirituality and Health, Trinity News, Episcopal
Life and U.S. Catholic, and can be viewed at www.ecva.org
(Since September 11...), www.saintpaulschapel.org
and www.nationalgeographic.org.