9/11 Widow, Author To Share Her Story, Faith At Berkeley Library

BERKELEY, NJ — Jennifer Sands has experienced a life-changing transformation over the past 20 years, a journey that started after her husband was killed during the terrorist attacks on 9/11 — an event that took the author down a path she never envisioned.

Sands’ husband, Jim, was a software engineer for the eSpeed division of Cantor Fitzgerald and was working in his office on the 103rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when American Airlines flight 11 struck the North Towner at 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2020.

Since that time, Jennifer Sands has woven her journey into three books that explain the spiritual metamorphosis she has undergone over the past two decades. On Wednesday, Sands will share her story during a presentation at the Berkeley branch of the Ocean County Library.

The event, entitled Jennifer Sands: 9/11 and My Spiritual Journey, will take place between 2-3 p.m. at the Berkeley branch, which is located at 30 Station Rd. in Bayville.

Sands told Patch earlier this month that she struggled to deal with her husband’s death in the months and years immediately following the terrorist attacks. She said that she prayed, but that faith was not an essential part of her life. She had prayed for her husband's safety on the day he died, she said, but that even then, she didn't understand the importance of having God in her life on a daily basis.

That changed, however, as the years passed and her spiritual life deepened and as she began to share her story more. Sands now travels the country as a Christian speaker and helps others dealing with grief to come to grips with their new reality.

"There's a lot of people who believe in God but don't know him," Sands told Patch in the days leading up the 20th anniversary of 9/11. "Trust is built on a relationship, and it's the same way with God. Spending time with him on a regular basis and spending time in prayer builds that relationship."

"On the basis of what I do know about God I can trust him with the things that I don't know. The key is to know him.”

Her faith has led her to write the three books, “A Tempered Faith”, “A Teachable Faith” and “A Treasured Faith.” The stories that make up the three books will be part of her library presentation on Wednesday.

Through her own pain, Sands said she has learned to comfort others, which has become central to her mission as she continues to share her story from the events that changed her life so dramatically. One of the lessons she emphasizes is one she learned unexpectantly on 9/11.

“How quickly life can be gone," Sands told Patch when asked about what message she tries to convey to audiences. "Let's treat each other like today is their last day on earth."

Sands added: "I think our trials equip us to help others. We help hold each other up. God does not comfort us just to make us comfortable but also to make us comforters."