Hello from New York

[thelmalu99]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say that I have spent the better part of the morning reading all of the posts from Tuesday and yesterday and I'm truly touched that so many of you were concerned about me.
I didn't come to work yesterday, as Mayor Giuliani advised people to just stay home unless it was absolutely imperative that they show up for work. I called the office and found out that only a few people had made it in and that we were going to be closed.
Tuesday, I left the office at about 1pm, as soon as I heard that they were letting people walk across the bridges to get home. The subway system was shut down and the bridges had been closed off after the attack. I don't live in Manhattan and I had to walk over the 59th Street Bridge to get home (along with hundreds upon hundreds of other people). It took me 2 hours to walk home to Queens, but I made it. I have friends and co-workers that live in Manhattan and offered me a place to stay for the night, but I really just wanted to get home to my kitties and Yertle and to call my family in Brazil.
The city is still shut down below 14th Street. I work at 18th street. The World Trade Center was almost forty blocks from where I work - not close enough to have been in immediate danger but certainly close enough for us to have been scared out of our socks.
I have lived in New York for most of my life and I can safely say that I have never seen this city like this. People are just in shock. Nobody knows what to do or say and we are all extremely grateful for the concern and support that is coming from all parts of the country and the world. People all over have been donating blood and donating their time and efforts. On the news they showed a gentleman who drove 4 hours to get here with his rescue dog to help with the recover and rescue project. What a blessing that people can come together and help each other during difficult times.
Horse 1987 - My prayers are with your Dad. What a wonderful person he is for coming to help the rescue team. I know that you have mixed feelings about it - anyone would in your position. My prayers are with him as well as with all of the other brave people who are working so hard to try and find survivors.
Buddy - My prayers are with your teacher. I'm so sorry for her loss.
Sandra - I'm so happy that you found your husband. So, so glad!
I thankfully didn't know anyone that worked there, but my co-worker's brother worked there and was able to get out. Thank God.
Just one more note - I am sure that all of you have heard that many Muslim people here in this country have been receiving terrible, hateful phone calls. How awful is this? I just hope that people cool off and think rationally. I know that there is a lot of hurt and anger, but I just feel that it is wrong to lash out at the wrong people just because of their religion. These are people who live and work here just like the rest of us. Let's not be as irrational and hateful as the monsters who did this.
I am so glad to be back here at Pet Talk with my dear friends. I am thankful that you are all ok.
Let's continue to pray for all those people who have lost their loved ones. Let's hope and pray that they find more survivors.
God bless all of you.
love,
Thelma

[Snowy's Mommy]

Thelma,

I am glad you are okay--I work in midtown now, but used to work on 14th street...I know what you are talking about...we were closed yesterday, but we are TRYING to work today...noone is really working at all..anyway--glad you are okay and that your babies are okay too.

Jordan and Snowy

[aly]

5 firefighters were rescued from the rubble today, and 3 were able to walk out on their own. A blessing among the disaster. I pray for more and more survivors.

[Logan]

Thelma,
I am so happy that you are ok, and that your priorities were in order! You went home to be with your babies, right where you needed and wanted to be.
Logan

Thelma, thank you for your post. It is interesting to hear accounts from people like yourself that live there. I cannot imagine the devestation. I am so far away from it but each story I hear puts me right there and breaks my heart. I have never been to New York and always wanted to go.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and I hope you can find some sort of normalcy there... though I'm sure that will take some time. God bless you and be with you.

[RachelJ]

Thelma, the picture of people walking across the bridges was something that will remain with me forever. I now know that you were among them. It behooves us all to stay in good enough shape that we could accomplish what you did on Tuesday. When disaster strikes all we might have available to us are what God has given us...our two legs, two arms and hopefully the ability to think straight.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Thelma, so glad to know you are o.k.
Jackie

[zippy-kat]

It's so good to hear from you Thelma!

[Pam]

Thelmalu I so glad that you are OK. I heard news of the attack on the car radio on my way into work on Tuesday. I immediately thought of you, my Pet Talk friend! I worried until I could get back home and get on my computer (no internet access at work yet). Thank you for this post, bringing us up to date. Stay safe and God Bless You!

[4 feline house]

Echoing Spencer's post, there is a mosque a few hundred feet from my house. A large number of the congregation live in the apartment buildings next to my house, and every Friday night there is tension because the worshippers walk across the street en masse, all night long, and sometimes traffic is disrupted. Also, the traffic in and out of the tiny shopping center that houses the mosque causes problems in this little residential neighborhood. In light of this week's events, I'm nervous that the tension might escalate tomorrow. A mosque in Irving (next town over from me) was vandalized yesterday.

[4 feline house]

I just passed by that mosque on my way to 7-11 to get a coke, and I noticed that tonight, like last night, it is full. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are also praying.

I also noticed - hurray! - the airport's open again! I haven't been tuned to the news 100% today, and had not heard. There were about six planes in the sky. This is still far less than usual, but better than the 3 in the last two days before this! I have alot of friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and fellow church members who make their living from DFW Airport, and most of them will be getting unexpected short paychecks. I'm glad there's a glimmer at the end of that tunnel.

[Sudilar]

Thelmalu, so glad that you are ok. Great to hear from you!!

[Daisy's Mom]

Thelma we are so glad you are okay. Being so close to everything must hurt. Massachusetts is not as close as you are and we are all going crazy.

[crow_noir]

I'm sooooo GLAD you are ok!!!

we have a neighbor that is from the middle east. we've been wanting to let him know we do not hate him. however my fiance and him have conflicting work scheduals, so they never have time to talk right now, and i am way too terribly sick. i wouldn't want to pass on what i have because he has an aprox. 1 month old baby girl.

[Eudora]

I'm glad you're alright Thelma.
And I hope everyone will leave the Arabs and Muslims alone, please... in Singapore we have so many people from other countries and we have to learn tolerance from an early age.
I have heard that the USA is very racist and I don't believe that. You guys aren't, right?

[Gio]

Eudora, please don't believe what you heard. Any country with a multi ethnic population is bound to have some racial tension sometimes, and there is good and bad everywhere. The United States have given opportunities to people coming from all over the world. You cannot call the surname of mayor of New York, just to make an example of someone who has been in the news a lot lately, a typical American name ;). When we joined Pet Talk noone asked what colour, religion we were. Personally, I was always made to feel more than welcome.

Unfortunately racist acts get in the news, good things very rarely do.

PS Thelma I'm so happy that you are OK, I didn't post before but that doesn't mean I was not thinking of the people of pet talk living in the hit areas

[ September 14, 2001: Message edited by: Gio ]

[3-greys-and-a-mutt]

We have a beautiful mosque in one of Toledo's outlying communities. Yesterday, someone drove past it on the expressway, and fired a rifle shot into it's window. No one was physically injured, but I'd imagine that, if I were a Moslim U.S. citizen, I'd be afraid of these sick attacks of counter-terrorism.

Where was it first said the violence begets violence?

[Paul]

   Eudora, the United States has more than 285,000,000 people spread over
9,158,960 square kilometers. As a nation I don't think we are a racist nation.
It certainly seems like people from every nation on earth have prospered
and do prosper in the US. Although, I am sure we have millions of people who have done
extremely bad things and I know we also have millions of people who do extremely good things.

[wolflady]

Paul, I know what you mean. A friend of mine and I were talking about this today at lunch. I thought it amazing at how it seems like so many people have come together during this time of crises. Hospitals are swamped and making appointments for the hundreds of thousands of blood donors :) Someone mentioned earlier that there seemed to be less road rage. Stuff like this I have noticed. I've seen the good in humankind. But I've also seen the bad. People are taking advantage of other people's vulnerability, and calling in fake bomb threats. Others are looting. Still others are taking advantage of kindness over the phone with scams. Here in California, a bag of pigs blood was thrown at a Muslim center. It makes me sick that there are people out there that do such unkind acts...especially during a time like this. It's never mattered to me where a person was from, or what their religious or cultural background is. We are all human beings. I'm sure our Muslim american friends and arabic american friends are as upset about this as we are, and we shouldn't associate them with the terrorists, just because of where they are from or from their religious background.
Eudora, Paul is right. I don't think as a nation we are racist, but there are always bad people in the world wherever you go. I think America is a very good and open and free place. After all, people come from all around the world to settle here. It's a big accomplishment for them! :)

[4 feline house]

Eudora - no, America is not racist, some Americans are racist. Just like Singapore is not racist, but some Singaporeans are (is that the right term?). Just like Great Britain is not racist, but some Brits are.

Gio - Well, there really is no "American" name except such like Greyeagle or Whitewolf. ;) But then those peoples and their names existed centuries before "America" did.

Well, there are a few truly "American" names, made up at Ellis Island by clerks too ignorant or lazy to copy down the real name :rolleyes:- our former Vice President Spiro Agnew had just such a name. But those are few and far between.