This morning I drove into NYC to visit an injured friend recovering in the hospital. There are many routes into NYC from Long Island, but today I choose the Long Island Expressway (the LIE). It is a route I normally avoid because it usually has the most traffic. The LIE heads into Manhattan through the Midtown Tunnel at 34th Street. The highway is elevated a couple of miles before entering the tunnel and on a clear day, as is today, you have the most wonderful view of the skyline. This mornings view was quite beautiful, the sky was crystal clear. You could see the landmark buildings, The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, The CitiCorp Building and many more. Those buildings are in midtown, to the south is the Wall St. area. Instead of the Twin Towers, today I saw for myself the plume of smoke and ash still rising from the devastation. While NYC and America may have a black eye, maybe two black eyes, the body is still strong and able.

It is also quite clear that life is different. There was little traffic on my route which usually is a traffic jam. People are not traveling very much. At the enterences to the bridges and tunnels and in other key locations there were posted police vehicles with lights flashing. There were flags everywhere, on buildings and homes, on cars and other vehicles. In front of the hospital, at bus stops and seemingly everywhere where people stop a moment on their way, there were posters with pictures of the missing and pleas for information about lost loved ones. There were candles and there were flowers.

My friend's body was broken up pretty good. But not her spirit. While many would be depressed, for her own situation, for the loss of 300 of her co-workers, and for the larger loss we all share, she is in amazingly good spirits. Her explanation is that she is thankful to be alive. She will have a third surgery on Monday or Tuesday and remain in the hospital for some time to come to recover. But her prognosis is good and she recover completely from her many injuries.