I am here only to be truly helpful….I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal. (T-2.V(A)18:2, 6)
September 11, 2006
On the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I want to share something very inspiring that I saw on 60 Minutes last night. One of the many tragedies of 9/11 was all the children who lost their parents that day. Needless to say, this was a traumatic event for them. To help them cope with their loss and move forward with their lives, a group called "Tuesday's Children" was formed to provide counseling, mentoring, summer trips, and other resources to help them all the way through college.
One of the ways Tuesday's Children is helping these children heal is by giving them opportunities to help others. The 60 Minutes story centered on a group of 9/11 teenagers who were in Costa Rica helping poverty-stricken people there. They repaired and painted a village school, and built a bathroom for a poor family that only had an outhouse. In the words of the trip's organizer, Kathy Murphy, "They need to start giving back to help ease their pain. They're trying to turn the pain into something more positive. So giving back is a tool that will-that will do that and it will build resilience in the children."
Extending help to others has indeed aided the children's healing. One of them, Erik Abrahamson, says, "After 9/11, I used to hate everybody around me. And just—I was so mad." But he is doing much better today, and so are the other children helping out in Costa Rica. Just listen to what some of these children are saying:
Marina Wang (when asked how she is different today): "It's just that, you know the people who did this, they don't know that like you can't destroy love no matter what you do."
Briell Saracini: "I don't think I would be the same person if 9/11 didn't happen to me. I wish it—I would change it if I had the chance, of course, but, I think it has made me realize that I need to be nicer to people and maybe if I can help give back it will spread and people won't do things like hijack airplanes and take the lives of other people."
Bridget Fisher: "After 9/11 happened, I was laying with my sister—I remember telling her, 'I'm so sad. How, how, how am I gonna to make myself happy?' And I figured it out. It's by making other people happy. Other people around you. It's by doing good deeds for other people. That's how—that's what makes me happy." After 60 Minutes interviewer Scott Pelley notes that some people never figure that out, Bridget replies, "I'm lucky. I'm lucky in so many ways." Remember: This is coming from a child whose parent was killed on 9/11.
These children have discovered a truth that is at the heart of A Course in Miracles: To find help and healing for yourself, give help and healing to others. As that famous "truly helpful" prayer says, "I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal." I'm also reminded of something Jesus once said to Helen: "How often have I answered 'help him' [Bill] when you asked me to help you?" So, as we contemplate the pain of 9/11 and all the unhealed places in our own lives, let us ask the Holy Spirit: "Whom would you have me help today?" As we hear His answer and offer help as He directs, we ourselves may discover the truth expressed so succinctly on the back of a T-shirt one of the 9/11 children was wearing: "Helping heals."
Return to top | Send Reader Feedback | View Reader Feedback | Printer friendly version
Dear friend: We offer the materials on this website to you in the hope that they can serve you well on your journey home. Your continuing donations support the work of the Circle of Atonement. Thank you.
Click here to make a Donation.
This material is copyrighted by the Circle of Atonement, P.O. Box 4238, W. Sedona, AZ 86340. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed are the personal interpretation and understanding of the author(s).
Please report problems to the webmaster.
