Bigger and broader prayers are called for in these times of unprecedented awareness. … Prayers have gotten a bad reputation lately, and rightly so I dare say.

I could have a shirt made that says: “will work for attaboys.” But you know what? It was never enough. Even though I wanted it to fulfill me, it didn't. I couldn't better someone else's life enough to fill up my own.

We didn’t have social media then, and texting was still becoming a thing. We had print newspapers and television, but the news showed us the towers fall that day. When we stepped outside of the building in the afternoon, those images were confirmed; the towers … stood no more.

To me, this was a wonderful gift: the choice to believe. It wasn’t a giving over of rational thought followed by unicorns and fairies. Instead, it was a lesson in embracing and celebrating things we don’t fully understand. It was a way to learn gratitude for the mystery of being loved.