 Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, in the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. I greet you all with the universal greeting of peace. Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. Dear respected guests, esteemed panelists, and beloved community members, I'd like to personally as well as on behalf of the MCC express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for being here today. Earlier this morning I was at another local mosque, the San Ramon Valley Islamic Center, where I spoke to a large group of middle and high school students during their Sunday school program about this recent tragedy. Prior to my talk, the students were given index cards and asked to submit questions or comments about the attack, how they were feeling, and their reflections in general. There were several thoughtful comments and questions about the attack itself, the motivations of the terrorists, the victims and their families, their suffering, and how we as a community can better protect ourselves from future attacks. As I was going through each card and I looked at their sweet and innocent faces and how deeply puzzled and conflicted they were by how someone could do something so heinous, I had to fight back my tears. Our children have sadly inherited a world that is rife with confusion, hatred, and violence. Their normal is nothing like our normal when we were their age. We were busy being children oblivious to the darkness of the world, while they are children who've been born into it and are surrounded by it every day. Like ships that are sailing aimlessly and lost at sea, they too are desperately looking for the light. And that is why the work that we do matters so much. Whether we are fighting on the front lines of this battle politically, reaching people through education and dialogue, or we're protecting the beautiful souls that come to our respective spiritual centers for guidance, we are all shining our light in one way or another. But when we come together as we are right now in this moment and in this sacred space and we put our lights together, we create a beautiful kaleidoscope of different colors and shapes that reflect stronger, brighter, and has a much farther reach. When we stand together and speak in one unified and beautiful voice just as we have today, we effectively drown out all the noise and ugliness born out of hatred and violence. In the aftermath of these horrific events that have become far too common in our broken world, we may not be first responders in the technical sense, but we are certainly part of the triage team, spiritually speaking. Many people look to us for strength, for help, and for healing. May God, the most compassionate, the most merciful, give us renewed and continued strength and patience to help as many souls and heal as many hearts as we possibly can. I will end with one of my favorite quotes from one of the most beloved television personalities ever that we all know, Mr. Rogers. Who once said, when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping. May God always count us among the helpers and may he increase our numbers so that our light eclipses whatever darkness may come our way. Thank you and may God bless you all.