Different Views

My friend Elaine, who is among my most reliable and thoughtful readers, sent me a link to a blog written by her cousin, Jim Forest, who lives in Holland but visited New York shortly after the attacks on 9/11. His observations on how the US had changed, the mood in the city and across the country, and what Americans were thinking and talking about then, is fascinating, insightful, thought-provoking, and beautifully compassionate. I recommend it.

For the record, Jim's trip was to Red Bank, NJ, where his son lives. Phil grew up in and around Red Bank. I didn't know how many people from Red Bank died in the attacks. Phil tells me his parents went to memorial services daily for weeks. His brother worked the ferry back and forth as an EMT. Even when I think that day is all in the past, some other aspect I hadn't heard about or thought of always seems to pop up.

One of the good examples of this is Jim's blog. I encourage everyone to read it and discuss.