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We offer this page on our bulletin board for people to choose their own method of commemoration.

Remember in the corners of dreams and thoughts - and in silence.

Record memories on the page that reflect moments, reactions, or thoughts about September 11th, about loved ones, or life changes, or journeys that have been taken because of September 11th.

Tell about memorials that seemed appropriate and comforting.

We offer this page for remembering, remembrances and memorials.

To have your message or memorial appear on this page, please email it to Deborah Baroch at NOVA by clicking here .

Selected messages submitted to NOVA:

Remembering Sept. 11th
My father, who is 84 years old, lives in northern New Jersey and was able to see the burning and smoking of the WTC from a high point of his town. Since he is a World War II vet, he has many memories and stories of that war and its horrors. When I asked him how Sept. 11th compared to the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed, my dad said that the Sept. 11th terrorist attack was worse. Then I realized the huge significance of the events of September 11th.
-Barbara Kendall, September 9, 2002

Moving forward, yet never forgetting
Moving forward yet never forgetting that day. The day the world stood still and made us all stop showing us that we arent invinsible and that life can be made so short. Remembering the day that the prayers were lifted up to the lord from every direction, there were no restrictions that day. Remebering the men and woman that lost their lives that day and left loved ones to try to make sense of such a loss. Taking time to remember those who spent endless hours trying to save the men and woman trapped, and never forgetting the way we all seemed to pull together. We take today to remember all that we lost that september 11th day, and yet moving on with the knowledge and strength we all gained. May God watch over us all this day and everyday!!!!!!!!!
-Jacquelyn Michelle Rauch, September 11, 2002

9-11
I often remember our time in NJ/NYC through thoughts of laughter! The remember the laughter of police as they taught us how to speak "New Jersey" (Noo Joyzee); firefighters as they slept on teddy bears; and disaster relief workers embraced as they came in from the cold! I remember families laughing amidst their tears in moments of fond memories.

Laughter is a gift. It lifts us from dark places and remains in the recesses of our immeditate thoughts. Like a blanket of love, it keeps us from seizing up, wraps us in harmony, heals us from the reality of lifes less than ideal experiences.

I remember sad stories, shared tears, the warmth of smiles, the crisp snap of belly laughs, and the safety I felt in the company of my human family during one of the darkest times. I REMEMBER life, excellent and proud! -Karen Sears, September 12, 2002

The Honor of Attending NY Remembrance
NOVA had the distinct honor of being invited to participate in the "Honor Guard" during the remembrance ceremonies in NY at the WTC, "Ground Zero" site. The Honor Guard was composed of four each of over 100 agencies, organizations or groups that had responded to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was an incredible experience--very, very emotional and all of it right in front of us x 1,000's... It's amazing, but you can SEE longing or yearning for lost souls...it was so vivid, I could breathe it in with the swirling dust and I'm certain, their ashes, too.

NOVA's former Executive Director, Marlene Young, Captain Ed Nekel of the Paramus, NJ Police Department and Moses Maylor of the Florida State Crisis Response Team and I arrived at 6:30 a.m. via a Port Authority police car, to the check-in site. They gave us credentials with a letter on them and that was the group we were assigned to for the day. We were divided into groups by letter and then taken down into the "pit" of Ground Zero at the WTC site. It was an incredibly moving experience, yet an almost eerie feeling to descend into "the bowels of the monster" as one woman put it later that morning.

We were called in groups to assemble outside a tent by numbers 1-100. We then walked to the center area of Ground Zero where they had a structural circle assembled, which they called "The Circle of Honor." There were marks every so many feet surrounding the Circle of Honor, and when our group came out, each of us was to stand on the same mark each time and serve as Honor Guard to the families as they listened to the 2,810 names being read. The families were also given flowers and were able to place them in the center of the Circle of Honor. The names were read by celebrities and survivors for nearly 2 1/2 hours, accompanied by some of the most beautiful, haunting music. In all, I did three shifts, the last one being the longest, about 1 1/2 hours, at which time, they brought the other teams out to join us, until all 400 of us were assembled in a circle around the families.

Thousands, literally thousands, of people descended down into Ground Zero. This was the first time the families were allowed to visit inside the area and it was so emotional to observe them. So many of them gathered up handfuls of the dust, dirt and stones and brought it up to their faces as if they could breathe in their loved ones. Some cried quietly, some wailed with overwhelming grief, others joined together in small circles and held makeshift funerals and memorials, creating circles of rocks to surround their flowers and pictures of their loved ones.

All in all, it was a powerful experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. From beginning to end, there was always a team of 100 of the 400 responders invited encircling the families and the Circle of Honor. The most memorable thing for me, however, besides the visible grief, was one beautiful, older woman, who one by one, went around to each of the responders in the outside circle, holding each of our hands, and thanking us for all that we did last year and in the months that followed. I have to admit, that is when I lost my composure.

When the four of us left the site at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, we were exhausted and yet so honored to have been invited to take a small part in this beautiful remembrance ceremony.
-Jeannette Adkins, September 19, 2002

Thank You!
Dear NJ FAC Volunteer:

In time of tragedy, a year passes slowly. The Family Assistance Center is once again a place for tourists. Tickets for Ellis Island are being sold there again; souvenir stands have reappeared. We have resumed what we might call a ?normal? life.

Yet it seems that only a short while ago we were working together responding to the attack on our country. We called for volunteers and you responded generously. We asked for help and you were there. You came from every part of the United States and Canada.

Together we journeyed to Jersey City?s Liberty State Park. We set out with fears and apprehensions but also armed with expertise and a strong desire to comfort the suffering. At the Family Assistance Center we gathered and prepared to reach out, to guide, and to enter into the mystery of the pain of others while gazing across the waters at the gaping chasm of destruction. Whatever inability we felt to help others in the face of such an overwhelming disaster soon melted as victim after victim thanked us and embraced us. We listened and listened. We directed many to the assistance they needed. Sometimes we found healing words; more often we just stood lovingly with grieving people. And sometimes we cried.

The FAC became our home; it was the place to be. The Center and its people embraced us and made us part of a family. How else can we explain the haunting memories and fond acquaintances. In the end, it was hard to leave. Now, after some months, we are remembering THE ANNIVERSARY of the bombings and the horror, and the beginning of the journey we shared while responding to the needs of those directly affected.

It is most fitting then to thank you, companions to the afflicted and companions to one another. We truly appreciate all that you did, great and small, and we wanted you to know that you did make a difference. Only the Lord knows how the ripple of kindness and compassion you may have offered has flowed and washed over the souls of so many. Many thanks for a response well done.

The crisis is not over, not for many victims nor for our country. Prayers were on the lips or silently in the soul of every victim on that fateful day. We too can do no better than pray for peace in every part of the world and personally strive to live each day ?compassionate of heart, gentle in word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought and generous in love.?

Gratefully yours,
-Tom Keevey & Connie Schwedes, September 20, 2002

A Broken Heart
I was at a Florida middle school where I am the guidance counselor and the TV news just happened to be on. I turned the sound up and said "look something bad has happened!" Everybody in the office coming in and out was captivated, then the second plane hit as we were watching. We saw people jumping out of buildings and then the most horrible news, one of our teache'rs had a brother in Tower 2. He called when the first plane struck and said he was leaving, we didn't hear from him until 1pm and Praise God he was fine. But that did not erase the horrible bone grinding pain of my broken heart. I am a certified NOVA Crisis Intervener from Florida and the images that I saw continued to break my heart. I was not there, but the sorrow still runs deep. My prayers are with all of the victims, the rescuers, and the Crisis Interveners that deal with that fateful day. My prayer for you is renewed strength and a restoration of joy into your lives. I don't know you personally, but I love you and I am thinking and praying for you...
-Jackie Benner, September 24, 2002

We Were There, We Definitely Remember
What a year!?! I and my son are injured survivors from the attack on the Pentagon. Ever imagine your worst nightmare? I survived mine. Somedays, I wish that didn't happen. I live with that day, it has become a part of my life. A part of me died that day, but I am very grateful to be alive. I believe what is the worst response is by the charities, and how they make it difficult for injured survivors to receive their just compensation. More trauma.

But in this time, I have learned to really smell the flowers. The day, the hour, the month -time is fleeting. I find enjoyment in the smile of my son, and the way he laughs. I have learned how to play again. I am being medically released from my job due to my injuries. I am learning the new person that I have become due to attack and the trauma I have experienced. But the way I see it- I lost my ability to be a work-a-holic for all the right reasons-LIFE!
-April & Elisha Gallop, October 16, 2002

Poem
when they died, my heart was shattered into a thousand pieces, like a mirror thrown in anger.
-donna, December 31, 2002

Memory
i thank all the troops for all that they done i love you guys!!!!!
-tiffany, May 14, 2003