9/11 Memorial Service

Tonight the SHAPE International Chapel held a memorial service for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The choir sang, of which I am a part of, the International Brass Quintet played, many of the Chaplains from the different countries participated and a woman with a knock-out voice and killer piano playing husband performed, Amazing Grace. It was a beautiful service, and I didn't even come close to getting through it without tears.
The choir sang three songs, On Eagles Wings, The Lord is My Shepard and The Lord Bless You and Keep You. They are all beautiful songs, but the tears were falling over during The Lord is My Shepard. One of our tenors, a British man, sang the solo so beautifully, many were reaching for their tissues.
An American Chaplain told her personal story of being a part of that day. She was a National Guard Chaplain at the time, in New Jersey and was immediately activated. When she reported to duty, her Commander told her that her first duty that day was to go to an elementary school and tell a 9 year old boy and his 8 year old sister that their mom was killed in the North Tower. They were in the office when she got there, both thinking that they were in trouble. She took them into the Principal's office and sat on the floor with them. After telling them this tragic news, the little girl said that it wasn't possible because she and her mom just made her PB&J that morning together. The little boy said, "Now we don't have a Mom or a Dad." Their father had been killed in a car accident just six months before. She stayed with them for an hour or more before handing them off to the school counselor.
Her next assignment was to go to a home and inform parents about their loss. When she got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk, the mother came out of the house and said, "How many children did I lose?" The Chaplain asked to please sit on the porch swing with her so they could talk. Again, the mother asked her question, "How many children did I lose?" The chaplain replied, "Three, one in the North Tower and two in the South Tower." That mother had lost all three of her children in the attack that morning. She fell into the Chaplain's arms, limp. After a long while on the swing, the mother asked the Chaplain is she cooked. The Chaplain didn't know how to respond so she asked why the question. The mother told her that the previous week she had felt compelled to go to the store and get the ingredients for each of her children's favorite dishes. Now she knew why, it was to help her begin the grieving process.  The mother asked the Chaplain if she'd like to stay and help her cook. The Chaplain was able to meet many people from the large Italian family and tell the father when he came home. I fell quickly into the ugly cry during her sermon, how could I not? I can't imagine my mom losing both my sister and I in the same day, I can't imagine losing my children at all, especially in the same day. The tears were flowing freely all throughout the chapel.
The Chaplain had a very even tone all the way through the sermon, I think it was just so she could recall those moments in her life and get through them without breaking down into tears in front of the congregation. It was such a touching and moving service. People from 90 different countries were lost that day. Some of those countries were represented in the NATO community. I feel honored knowing that I was able to be a part of the service that was dedicated to the men and women that died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01.