On the second anniversary of the largest terrorist attack in United States history, Garden City Mayor Barbara Miller reminded residents that there is no wrong way to grieve. The Garden City Clergy Fellowship offered comforting words to a village still mourning the loss of 23 of its own. The Garden City High School Chamber Choir and Women's Chorus provided moving renditions of our National Anthem and An American Trilogy, arranged by Mark Hayes.

"A moment now so vivid in our minds called 9/11," Monsignor John Gilmartin of St. Anne's Church said. "Two years ago we remember where we were and what we were doing. More vivid still are the people we lost, the pain and the suffering. We remember as if it were a moment ago."

Many residents surely remember standing in the very same spot two years prior, taking part in a community-wide candle vigil that lit up a village shocked by what hatred was capable of. "A community coming together - our greatest strength at our most grievous of times," Monsignor Gilmartin continued, offering words of prayer, "God help us to see you in our deepest loss. Help us to know that you are there. Help us to see you and your presence in our community. Help us to continue our journey with our families as we build bonds of love, care and peace..."

Mayor Miller, a psychiatric nurse who has conducted studies on the grieving process, said that for those families who did lose loved ones, there never really will be closure. "We can hope that this monument will help you heal and move on but we also acknowledge that there will always be a scar," she said. "Tonight's event is our village's way of recognizing that the grieving process continues for the families and friends who lost loved ones."

Superintendent of Garden City Schools Dr. Stephen Leitman narrated "Inscription of Hope" by Z. Randall Stroope while the high school's Chamber Choir and Women's Chorus sang softly behind him.

"The Holocaust is a stunning reminder of the tragic results of prejudice and hate toward other people, but it is also a reminder that hope held firm will eventually reign victorious over the greatest of odds," he said, noting that the following words were inscribed on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany where Jews were hiding from the Nazis during WWII. "Hope was all they had to hold on to; hope was their only bridge to a brighter tomorrow," Dr. Leitman read.

In Judaism as in many faiths, Rabbi Stephen Wise Goodman of the Garden City Jewish Center said it is traditional to observe the anniversary of the death of a family member. "We have gathered here, as Americans have gathered in all of our communities across the nation, to remember the precious souls we lost two years ago," Rabbi Goodman said. "We dedicate this monument as a symbol of our enduring love and our undying faith in the American ideals by which they lived.

"In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we will remember them. In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we will remember them. In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we will remember them. In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we will remember them. In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we will remember them...So long as we live, so long as our nation lives, we will remember them."

Reverend Bill Harmon of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection echoed those remarks. "We will never forget how beautiful that day was. We will never forget how business as usual suddenly changed. We will never forget the fall of the towers," he said. "We will never forget those anxious moments praying that our loved ones or friends or even strangers were still alive. We will never forget the uncertainty, panic and numbness. We will never forget the hope for the lost, the anger, the pain, the lack of understanding and the tears. We will never forget the question, 'Why?' We will never forget those who were lost, those who were saved and those who suffer and grieve...We will never forget that we must never forget."

He cited a prayer his Bishop prayed at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 23, 2001: We're stronger now than we were an hour ago and you know, my sisters and brothers, we're not nearly as strong as we're going to be...Oh Lord God we're leaning on you today, you are our tower of strength. You are our mighty fortress...Oh tower of strength be with those who mourn the loss of loved ones. Oh heavenly father we pray that you might extend Jacob's ladder for those whom ascended the stairways to save us as others escaped the fires and flames...Oh heavenly father, unbind, unfear, unscorch, unsear our souls. Renew us in your free spirit. We're leaning on you, oh tower of strength. We find our refuge in the shadow of your shelter. Lead us from this place strong..."