And a sky full of stars can cast the most breathtaking glow, rendering the once- terrifying darkness but a backdrop for truth and beauty, lighting the way to everything that is real and lasting. But the darkest night brings the brightest stars.Ī single star can both defy and define the darkness. There is no doubt that you have been one acquainted with the darkest of nights. We must work together, here at home and around the world, to ensure that our citizens, our communities, and our families are safe and sound.Īnd we must live without fear, as we work toward a future that is free from hatred and violence. We must always seek truth and justice, no matter how long it takes, and no matter where that search might take us. Through your perseverance and your devotion, you have shown by the truest example how we must respond to terrorism. You have changed the way victims of terrorism and their loved ones are treated by government officials and by responsible parties.Īnd you have stood by other families who have lost their loved ones-too many families and too many loved ones. You have kept this act of terrorism in the public eye. Instead, you have chosen to not let evil hold the field. Yet you have chosen to move forward, when it would have been easier to turn from this tragedy, to seek peace in a more private way. And that would have been easy to understand. You may have felt compelled to remain in the darkness. You have looked down the saddest city lane. You have out-walked the furthest city light. You have walked out in rain, and back in rain. In the words of Robert Frost, you have been one acquainted with the night. And on this day, the coming spring seems too far away. It’s a time of transition-of darkness versus light, of the depths of winter against the promise of the coming spring.įor you, this is the darkest of days. I’m speaking of the impact of our loved ones on those of us left behind. I don’t speak merely in a spiritual sense, though I hope that with each passing year, you have found comfort and solace in your own way, whatever your beliefs may be. Yet we have all come to learn that the loss of a loved one is not the end. But your heart can never be made whole again. The years may pass, but grief never fully dissipates. There is a hole in your heart that will never heal. And each year, the full force of your loss strikes at the very heart of you. Each year you gather here together, in rain, sleet, snow, and sunshine, to mark the lives of those you lost 27 years ago.
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