Where were you?
Tomorrow is September 11th, 2004.

Three years ago today, September 10th, 2001, each one of us was a significantly different person, in some way, than we are today.

I was in 12th grade, in a study hour in my high-school cafeteria. I heard from a friend of mine that the World Trade Center was on fire, both towers, and that it may have been a bomb. We were told that as many as 25,000 people could be in those buildings. It unfolded through the morning. I don't know what I saw live on TV or what was replayed.

I remember thinking that war was coming; but I didn't know exactly what that meant. I was 17 and, for quite some time, unable to come to grips with what had actually happened.

One thing I was into in High School was Choral music. All "choir boy" jokes aside, it is something I am passionate about. That fall, our choir (about 60 members) sang an arrangement of "The Prayer of Saint Francis" and, most significantly, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Our first performance of these songs was in a small town church, on 9/16/2001. I have never again been part of a choir singing with spirit and feeling like we were that morning.

Except one other time.

In April of 2002, a small chamber group from within the larger choir had the opportunity to travel to New York City, where we had a chance to perform in Carnegie Hall.

But of course, the 16 of us visited Ground Zero. Even to us small-town kids, the giant hole in the Big City was heart-wrenching.

We sang, hands clasped, The Star Spangled Banner and "Sing Me to Heaven," by Dan Gawthrop, a choral piece with very touching verse and a very ethereal and moving tone. Everyone cried. This is a link to a downloadable Mp3 of the song (not my choir doing it).

Listen to it, not as "classical music" but as a prayer. It will get to you.

I will cherish those memories forever. I feel blessed to have this personal and spiritual connection, through the music and the camaraderie, with that time and place. It leaves me with a sense of peace when I think of the attacks; anger, sorrow, and grief, yes. But peace, as well. Sacred music will do that to people.

If you feel compelled to share your thoughts and fears from that morning, please do so. You can post a comment on this page.