Yesterday, our world changed ... and probably forever. We may never see another day like it. I have never seen one before. In one hour, we were transformed from a secure people in the world's most powerful country, into a terrorized people who were considering that our government was at risk, our security uncertain and our way of life derailed. We came to a stop. We are destabilized . . . destabilized by the carnage of so many innocent people, by the threat to our security and even by the uncertainty of our nation's responses both at home and abroad. Our way of life has probably changed. But we will regain our footing, our people together will get up from this knockdown and we will move off again with resolve ... though in a different world and in a different direction.

For all of us here this is a time to be in touch with each other. It will help us to regain our balance. People give us strength. Individually, we need to reach deeply into our faiths ... our values ... and grasp the principles handed down to us by our family or our God or whomever we listen to. Though we come from different backgrounds, reach for those shared values ... shared needs ... and share support for each other that we all need so badly.

September 11th was a villainous day. Let September 12th be remembered as a day of healing and mourning. Healing for each of us and mourning for the untold people of all faiths, races and religions who were lost to the mayhem of terrorism. We will miss them and we offer our most heartfelt condolences to all the friends and relatives of the victims, especially those of you who are here. We pray for you. We weep for you.