Eight years have passed. Nearly 3,000 people lost to hatred. I remember the blue cloudless sky, and then the strangely quiet sky devoid of airplanes. A rainbow appeared over Providence a couple of days later, like a sign of hope.

A moment of silence, a moment to think about our country, our people, our world.

Today’s ProJo has an article about Rhode Islanders who assisted the rescue in New York City.

Tonight my church had an observation of this date, with words from the minister and a moment of silent reflection. I remember that our church was open on 9/11/01, as were others in Providence, and I went from church to church because I couldn’t stand being alone. We were there for each other then, and we have not forgotten.