Dear Lynne The news that your husband is safe and well is so welcome amidst all the sad stories. And it so warming to know that you and your neighbours are such a comfort to one another. On another list - Lancashire, England - I read "My wife gave birth to our 4th child, a baby girl, given that it was a bad day on the planet we called her Hope." I am sure that we are all hoping for a more peaceful world. Take care. Mary, Melbourne, Australia . ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lynne Ranieri" <LKRanieri@home.com> To: <BOWER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 9:26 PM Subject: Re: [BOWER] CHAT: From our NYC-area community > Dear Mary > Thank you very much for your kind message. I am overwhelmed by the > kindness shown by neighbors and friends all over the world. The phone rang > until late into the night, as people called to see if my husband was safe. I > am immensely relieved to report that he was able to make it out of the city > last night -- and we sat on the sofa holding hands tightly and watching the > horror on TV. > My husband was overwhlemed by the stressful events of the day and decided > to walk the dogs earlier than usual and in shifts. He went by the neighbor's > house where we heard the husband was likely lost in the horrific tragedy. > Cars were parked up and down the street and people streamed in and out with > food. My husband stopped one woman that he knew and asked her what they > knew. She said the wife had had a phone call from her husband after the plane > slammed into his building *below* his office...and that was the last she heard > from him. They were calling hospitals all over NYC, but could not get > information. He is, of course, presumed to have died in the collapse of his > building. > The woman also told my husband of another man in town who was also > apparently working in an office above the plane's impact and he is presumed > dead. He is the father of five children -- and his wife died two years ago. > We felt as if we had both been kicked in the stomach and sat in silence when > he told me of these personal tragedies. > He then walked by one of the small commuter parking lots a couple of blocks > from our home and saw that there were about 25 cars left there still...a > somber and horribly sad reminder that those commuters may not ever be coming > back to retrieve their cars. > A heavy cloud of silence still pervades the neighborhood as there is no > sound of planes overhead and everyone talks quietly in little knots > outside...asking if everyone's spouse made it home. It is the closest I hope > I ever come to knowing what hell war must be like. > Thank you for the message... > Lynne > > > ==== BOWER Mailing List ==== > To post messages to the Bower discussion list, send them to > BOWER-L@rootsweb.com >