I could not believe it when I heard yesterday. Talk about surreal, it was just after four in the afternoon, and I was sitting in front of a Greek temple from the 5thC BC when these two Americans came up to us and asked if we had heard what had happened. We said we hadn't and they said that some Italians had told them in very broken English that some terrorists had destroyed the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and the White House with Passenger planes. And we sitting there in front of these temples talking about this and how it couldn't possibly be true, for who could ever orchestrate such a thing? When we made it back to our room we turned on the television and found out to our horror that it was indeed only too true. We couldn't however get any English stations, and so could only watch the pictures again and again in horror and wonder what had happened. I'm so glad to ... know while everything is in chaos, you are ok somewhere there in New York City. ... Please keep [writing] updates.

-A Canadian reader on vacation in Italy

A fabulous read! I've had several folks already thank me for sending it on, with very positive comments!

-A reader in Virginia

Got this from a friend. Our prayers and thought are with you all as your world is changing, while struggling to stay the same. Take care and God bless.

-A reader in Iowa

Your accounts are so vivid and moving -- much more touching than those I've read or heard elsewhere. ... savoring your updates!

-A reader in Maryland

Thank you Kim. It makes me, a person who out of the midst of the immediate tragedy due to geography but feeling the effects none the less, feel a little vindicated.

You guys would not believe the sentiment down here. The reall tragedy is that it takes a national catastrophe for the country to really rally the way it has, but when Americans do rally, they rally with all the heart and soul.

I live in a small city just on the outskirts of a larger coastal area with casinos and and big business. BUT, when I drive through my town and into the more populated areas, I can't tell where one starts and the other begins for all the flags and banners. Casino's marquees read "God Bless America! Donate blood today." I'm really touched by the shear volume of sentiment. I do believe that if we thought we wouldn't just get in the way, half of the Mississippi Gulf Coast would be in New York digging through rubble looking for survivors. The Red Cross is actually unable to take in all the donors and asking people to please return whenever they can the next day or the day after.

And there really is a sense of hopelessness. Being as far away as we are, all we could really do was watch in horror, stand speechless, and go back and mourn at our desks. I have a boss who is stranded in Boston right now and he asked me on the phone how we could function down here. I told him, that's all we could do: go back to our jobs and just think about what happened. Giving blood and money are our only options, and it's very frustrating.

But, we do have patriotism and I really am very grateful for that article. I think everyone should read it.

-A reader in Mississippi

I had occasion to speak to my students at the university about this last week, and I conveyed the following three thoughts to them, which I share with you as well, in the silent hope that humanity will prevail despite adversity and that our response to this evil and unspeakable act be measured, commensurate and precise, rather than indiscriminate and diffuse. in brief:

- be a part of the whole, and the let the whole be a part of you.

- remembering the words from Beethoven's 9th Symphony ("... wem der grosze Wurf gelungen eines Freundes Freund zu sein ..."), be a friend to a friend and let the friend be a friend to you in return.

- at night when you walk outside, look up to the sky and find the brightest star in the dark sky of the night. remember that the light from that star is probably tens of thousands of light years old, and the star from which it comes may not even exist anymore. is it not wonderful that despite the vast and overwhelming darkness of the much larger universe, despite the fact that we do not even know the dimensions of that darkness, nor whether or not that star still exists, it is always light that pierces the darkness, and axiomatic that no matter how vast the darkness, it must yield to the penetrating and unyielding strength of Light. thus, notwithstanding how difficult it might be for us just now, be a light; be light onto yourself, be a light to your loved ones, and be a light to the community of which you are a part.

May Light and Peace be with you, always.

-A reader in Washington, DC

Very tragic and very interesting account. Thank you.

-A reader in Florida

You have provided a very different and interesting perspective on these tragic matters. I look forward to reading more. Keep posting, and stay safe! Thank you ...

-A reader in London

I just read your entire journal through yesterday and I can't believe what you've experienced; and even more, what you have so eloquently described. It doesn't get any more "first-handed" than that!

-A reader in Virginia

Terrible times for each of us. Unfortunately we are encountering the ugly face of the terror on a daily basis, and one never can get uses to it. Terror is in fact the real threat on the human nature and the cancer that endangering each of us. What happened today in New York and Washington is almost equivalent to the catastrophe of Pearl Arbor. Maybe now the free and sane world will understand what we have to cope each day here in Israel. I am great believer and .. a great optimistic that at the end of the day we shall overcome and shall get out of this drama more powerful and more strong about the spirit of the human being.

-A reader in Israel

Thanks so much for the fine reporting.

-A reader in Maryland

I wanted to write and thank you for sharing your journal. I hope writing it helped you as much as reading it helped me. [You're] a good writer.

Seeing the event thru the eyes of one who was there helped me better understand the magnitude of what has happened, although I suspect I will never fully understand.

-A reader in Ontario, Canada

I have read and heard many, many stories regarding the horrific, tragic, barbaric events that took place on September 11, 2001. However, it was your description that portrayed the entire event that made it real ... incorporating the feeling...the emotion...the smell...the devastation, etc. It brought me to tears.

I believe your journal is the best that I have read capturing emotions that one can only witness first hand. You have undertaken a job and have exceeded one's expectations in reporting accurate information despite the personal involvement that you are living. Thank you.

-A reader in Arizona

I ... found a ... document which turned out to be your Journal. I was transfixed as I began to read. Finding your journal was like finding a message in a bottle. Within a few paragraphs I felt such a connection to you. In your writing you expressed frustration at being turned away from the volunteer station. I understand your frustration at not being able to DO something, but please believe me you are indeed helping. While the physical realities of this horrible act are literally at your doorstep, there is no one in America who is not affected. The planes that those bastards hijacked were headed to San Francisco and Los Angeles. There are grieving families here too. There is quiet fear here that we may be next. I happen to live half way between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley....

I must admit that I am one of those that you described as being glued to the TV ( and the net). Frankly that is all that I can DO from here. The thirst for information and understanding is unquenchable. I thank you for allowing me to see through your eyes. Your eyewitness account and description of the sights, sounds, smells, and confusion bring it all so much closer.

I am a life long resident of the S.F. Bay Area, I have lived through the earthquakes and seen people loose their homes to fires and landslides. I know what it feels like to have the world change in an instant. As I watch the coverage on TV, the details of the rescue and recovery are far to familiar. The instant loss of innocent life is to familiar. The images of families searching for the missing are to familiar. The heroism of rescue workers is to familiar. Everyone reporting from New York is justifiably proud of the way that the city has come together. I too have seen how people who would not notice each other in 'normal' times set aside their differences and pull together and work side by side. In the case of an earthquake, I know that it is not the earthquake itself that is terrifying, it's when it stops. It is the not knowing whether it will come again in five minutes or not for five hundred years. It is not being able to trust the very ground under your feet.

My feelings are all over the board. At times I am so sad for those who lost their lives. At other times I am so proud of the way that America has come together in the wake of disaster. I catch myself thinking in terms of earthquakes, fires, and floods. Then I remember that those things are natural disasters, this was an attack. Someone did this on purpose and I am ANGRY. I feel the need to DO something, but what and to whom? I am old and wise enough to understand that we cannot turn against our neighbors of foreign decent, yet that is exactly who did this. These "people" lived and worked among us. They knew what it is to live in America and still they did this thing. Frustration sets back in. This cycle of feelings repeats itself.

I graduated from the local community college in June of this year with an A.S in internet technology-web programming, just in time to see the industry go under. The job search has not gone very well. Before this happened, I was at a place of decision in my life. What direction would the next phase of my life take ? I wanted a job that I would actually care about doing when I woke up in the morning. Last Friday night as I tossed and turned, to angry to sleep, I suddenly came to an unexpected decision; I would enlist in the service. This was something I could DO and be passionate about. One of the best feelings around is that of a made decision. I went from to angry to sleep to to excited. Alas, the next day I suffered insult added to injury. I walked into the local recruiting office and proudly tried to enlist, only to be told that thirty-six is to damn old! The max is thirty-four. It felt so good to have a plan of action. The frustration returns.

I wanted to write you and let you know that your message in a bottle has been found and appreciated. I wanted to be positive and encourage you to continue the good and valuable work you have begun. As I write to you I am finding it feels good to to get it all out in writing. You and I are strangers, yet I am coming to think of you as my friend in NY. I wonder, who is this voice in the night, who's words I wait for daily? I wanted you to know that your words are reaching people and that they are valuable.

I have forwarded the link to your site to many of my friends. I also sent it to the teacher of the English 1A class I had to take last year. ... I was one of those students who just hated writing. You have reminded me how powerful good writing can be.

-A reader in California

I end your dailies with a sigh, in grief and relief. I'm glad that your hanging in there, but I wish it was easier.

The other day my boyfriend said to me that he had never noticed the sound of airplanes flying over our area as much as he does now. It's true. I noticed the same thing last week. The planes seem louder and more frequent. We live fairly close to the airport. Sometimes I walk to the train station from school and the buildings seem taller. I tend to look up at them more often. Also on my route is the American Embassy. Flowers stacked on top of flowers, lit candles, notes, American flags fill the area.

-A reader in Toronto, Canada

Thank you SO MUCH for your [journal]! Here in Minnesota, it's all too easy to feel somewhat remote from the horror of what really happened. ... [T]hank you so much for being a brave American in these trying times! You are an inspiration ....

-A reader in Minnesota

Just letting you know I've reading your Journal from St. Louis. It is excellent. Much better than the bits of new flash coverage from TV. Please keep it up, and God Bless America.

-A reader in Missouri

On the thoughts contained in the final lines of your last message [Monday, September 24, 2001], here is a poem received from a friend which might provide you some perspective. By whatever name we refer to Him, Elohenu, G^d, Allah, Yahweh, the Almighty, or Jesus, I think it is appropriate in these turbulent and troubled times to remember that there but for the Grace of G^d, go I.

-A reader in Washington, DC

I can't begin to imagine what it must have felt like to be so close, but your diary does a great job of conveying the emotions you went through that week. It's easily the best first-person account I've read.

-A reader in Maryland

I've been reading your journal since the 18th of September - it was forwarded around our office .... Being away from television and radio during the day, your journal has helped by making me feel connected to what is going on, without feeling as if I am obsessing about it. Your perspective is one that few of us can have, and to hear that the INS office was open and crowds returning gives a sense that life might go on after all!

I realize that for New Yorkers it will take years to not feel a sense of loss - your daily vista has been changed forever. We can only hope that we can prevent such acts in the future. Please keep writing!

-A reader in Virginia

On your entry of September 18, 2001, you refer to "someone" feeding you "every delicious thing they can cook or purchase." I apologize for the triple layer chocolate cake by Sara Lee, one of your favorites [Ed. note: Actually, it was Pepperidge Farm, but at least she bought the right thing! -K]. My love as always, Mom

P.S. Stay safe!

-A very loyal reader and my first (and best) writing teacher, my Mom, in Maryland