Words of Comfort and Hope

For Those Who Help

Mother and Father of us all, ...I do not pray for the dead, for they are beyond our reach and in your arms. I pray for those still alive in the rubble, that they may find the strength to survive until rescue comes. ...I pray for the rescuers. Sharpen their sight and hearing, so that they can find. Strengthen their arms so that they can move and lift and heal and quench. Soothe their hearts and minds, who face a horror unimaginable to the rest of us... I pray for the Muslim community, ...that they may not become further victims. I pray for justice. But let it be justice, not vengeance. More than anything, I pray for the families. For those who are waiting to hear (myself included), and those who have already heard. Hold us all in your endless arms of love.

—posted by community member Stephanie Bowker