Miracle Meaning - Katie

          On 9/11 this year, I had the morning news on as I went about my day. The names of every victim were being read alphabetically. After eating breakfast and reading the morning newspaper, they were still on the B's. After returning from a work out, they were on the C's. Three hours in, they had just started the P's. The names were read by loved ones who had lost someone on that horrific day and when they got to the name of their son, daughter, husband, wife, sister or brother, they said something meaningful about them. "He rushed in in as others rushed out" or "She lit up the room with her smile" and always, "Not a day goes by that we don't miss you." 

          Plato concluded that humans are defined as "a Being in search of meaning." It feels impossible to find meaning in these deaths, but we can and do find meaning in their lives. When we sift through the rubble, we remember courage and sacrifice, love and commitment, budding talents and wise counsel. In honoring their memory, we are recognizing that search for meaning in ourselves: how we connect, how we offer kindness, and how we find the capacity for love and sacrifice. A combination of virtues and characteristics unique to each person points to the path marked "Why you are here."

          I remember how unified we all felt seventeen years ago in the weeks and months after 9/11. Taking a little more time and being willing to extend a hand to someone who needed help, or just slowing down to allow someone into the lane ahead of us. A collective broken heart beating at the core of humanity motivated us to ease the way for those around us. For a short time we became tethered to each other by what we most admire, and it was contagious. These acts of kindness and connection became the "daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark." As the elusive search for meaning unfolds, it's good to remember we are not alone, our fellow travelers offer clues along the way. (Katie)