By Dan Hoffe
All is love,
Love is light.
Fear is but a shadow,
That follows you,
No matter where you go,
Only disappearing,
Once a day,
At the sun’s zenith,
When for an instant,
You’re completely engulfed,
In light’s warm embrace.
Remember the bliss of this moment
It is eternal,
Look forward to these rays,
They will always find you,
Even in the depths of darkness,
And fill you,
With hope, courage, and love,
Yes, the shadows will return,
But they will never reach you,
For you are made of light.
Like a comet tracing elliptical patterns across
the night sky,
Shining brightly and leaving stardust in your wake,
You are traveling forwards,
Expanding outwards,
At immense speed,
Through the infinite void.
As you move
On an unerring trajectory,
That will cause,
Our paths to cross,
Our eyes to meet,
Our hearts to touch,
And, our souls to intertwine,
Together,
Forever,
In a fiery union,
Of love,
And light.
February 26, 2020
Each 9-11 memorial always brings up lots of memories for me but somehow the 20th anniversary seems particularly poignant. Survivor’s guilt is real. I think of all of the amazing experiences that I have had over the last 20 years and it reminds me of all those who weren’t so lucky. I have given lots of talks about escaping from the 61st floor of the South Tower and the amazing bravery of the FDNY firefighters that I witnessed. I want to make sure that we never forget these heroes and always remember that life is much more fragile than we think it is. I am grateful for every day and have learned to focus on connecting to the light. So, if you ever find yourself in the shadows, please know that it’s a good thing, for it means you’re getting closer to the light.
– Dan Hoffe, WTC survivor and proud Hoffman Process grad