Arnericalooks backhome

By Lorraine Heppner Heppner Hardwoods, Inc. Azusa. Ca.

[HAD been to Manhattan three Itimes in my life: once was September ll,2001.

It was a profound experience for all Americans, the whole world for that matter, but being there as an "outof-towner," was astonishing. "Nothing will ever be the same" was the collective phase we heard over and over again. It became a global utterance, and then as survivors, we looked at how this affected us personally.

Our family, friends and home were looked at through the eyes of "there, but for the grace of God."

All flights were canceled. Access to and from the city was curtailed, leaving many people stranded. The city shut down except for the hotels. Hospitality took on another face. The inhospitable, except to the privileged, became hospitable. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the epitome for luxury and snobbery, opened its doors for rescue workers.

It was there that I witnessed one of those little moments, within the day that will stay with me forever. A small group of armed officers was reconvening in the anti-lobby, after a night of rest. They were joking around and poking fun at one of their companions who had overslept. And, no wonder, as the men extolled about the elegant lodging and those feather beds. They munched, without regard for cost, through the mini bar, to unwind before falling, exhausted into a cloud of feathers.

There was no embarrassment, on the part of one officer, in admitting he had engaged in a little jumping up and down on the bed. Probably not the beautiful guests Mr. Astor had envisioned. But, I like to think, at the end

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