Reflection

Both my wife and I were visiting my younger brother and sister-in-law at their first home in Rhode Island. My older [missing word] and partner was also joining us for a family gathering on September 10. My younger brother as a minister had lived in church rectories for most of his career but had purchased a beach home in Rhode Island. As we gathered for several days we were lucky to have great weather. The owners were eager to show us this beautiful area with its sea inlets and coastline. On the morning of 9/11 we were enjoying a late breakfast outside on the deck when a phone call to led us to turn the TV on. We watched in dismay as we saw the burning Towers in NYC. Our son’s company had just relocated to the 27 story of the American Express building which was opposite the Twin Towers. I immediately called his work number. It rang but was not picked up. Prior to coming to R.I., we had given the phone number of my brothers place to him just in case he needed to contact us. For several hours as we watched the events unfold in downtown Manhattan we did not hear from our son. Then a call came in on my phone from our son saying that he was safely home. He had left for work late that morning since he watched the season opener football game of the NY Giants.

This amazed me since my son does not follow football. He said he arrived at the ferry In Hoboken but the ferry was not permitted to leave. He could clearly see the towers falling from the deck of the ferry He encountered in the large mingling crowd the boss of his company and he drove him home.