Sunday, April 28 members of the community gathered to offer their support to families who suffered the loss of a loved one in the attack on the World Trade Center.

It was a sweet simple expression of a caring community and was held in the Christ Church Parish hall in an event organized by Eileen McFetridge. Still, while it was a lovely event, it left us with a feeling that it wasn't enough. Maybe there just isn't enough that can be said or done for the families deeply involved in the loss of their loved ones on September 11.

There soon will be two Shadbushes planted in the area near the Theodore Roosevelt rock garden that represents all the places the 26th President lived. Ann Dick offered to get a stone from the World Trade Center that could have a bronze plaque attached, with the names of local people who died on September 11.

Joe Ferraro, past Oyster Bay School District administrator and an active member of the Interreligious and Human Needs Council has asked the school to put up a flowering tree on school property memorializing the young people from the school who were also victims.

Still it is not enough. These deaths aren't like any other deaths. It was not a sudden accident, a fatal illness, a dangerous lifestyle or a self-inflicted death wish. These deaths are different. They were people going to work and making the world a better place. They were husbands, wives, children who were the everyman and everywoman going about their everyday jobs.

The only thing these people did that was wrong was to be Americans. They did their jobs to help make this great nation better and stronger. They are all of us, while they are none of us. Still they represent what the American way of life is - and it is a fine way of life. We are an exemplary country. We may not always be right, but we try to be right. We don't always achieve the goals of our constitution but we state our goals and try to live up to them.

These young people who died will be remembered as martyrs to a dream of freedom. Their deaths are different.

While we can never say enough about anyone's loss of a loved one - this loss is really everyones. We have all lost a little bit of America and we do all mourn our loss of innocence. We will never be the same, but we will try to be better, to continue to hope and dream for a life of freedom for everyone.