TOWN OF HIGHLAND, NY — Spiritual leaders, first responders, monks and members of the public gathered to commemorate the events of 9/11 during a memorial service outside Heroes’ Park in Eldred.
The service started with remarks from Reverend Nancy Vonderhorst of Pond Eddy United Methodist Church, who then lead the group into prayer.
“They thought that by bringing down those buildings, they would shatter our foundation. They were wrong,” she said, adding that America’s biggest strength was not money, but a connection to God.
“The day after the attack, we were not red or blue,” Vonderhorst continued. “We were just Americans. Nobody asked their neighbor who they voted for before handing them a bottle of water, or rolling up a sleeve to give blood.”
The national anthem was then sung by Margo Seibert, and wreaths were brought out by representatives from Highland’s ambulance service, fire department and constabulary, as well as the Yulan Fire Department.
“Let each one of these wreaths symbolize the gratitude we all feel for those who risked their life on September 11, 2001,” town supervisor John Pizzolato said.
Pastor Charles Perez of Barryville Community Church echoed Vonderhorst’s comments about community unity.
“On 9/11, millions of Americans felt the same thing at the same time. People were shocked, there was fear, there was grief, there was uncertainty,” he said. “It is a day where we have to be reminded of our collective humanity.”
After the wreaths were placed, Monk Samatha of the Kadampa World Peace Temple was welcomed to the podium, where he led the crowd through a meditation exercise.
“If everyone sincerely prays to be able to cherish other living beings, then gradually, through the power of this prayer, everyone will actually cherish each other,” he said before starting the meditation.
As the crowd closed their eyes and faced toward the ground, Samatha told audience members to imagine their grief and fearful memories from 25 years ago as a thick dark smoke as they exhaled. As they inhaled, he encouraged attendees to imagine a peaceful, calm white light.
“This breathing meditation, it doesn’t bring us to cherishing others, but it clears the ground for it. It settles all the anxiety and the tensions, heaviness into a calm and peaceful place,” he commented. “Thank you for sharing this quiet moment.”
Editor's note: This article as initially published misstated Pastor Charles Perez's affiliation. This has been corrected as of Friday, September 25.
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