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Feb 04 NJ-CT-NY Betty and Dennis Nielsen are back home after taking another Freedom Quilts trip out east to delivery quilts to the 9-11 victim families. We left Feb 3rd traveling to our first event at Brookdale Com College in Lincroft, NJ and our second event at Assumption Parish Center in Morristown, NJ. Both of these two events were organized with the help of Catholic Charities. Then we went to see Mary Fetchet organizer of Voices of September 11th in New Canaan, CT. Our last event was held at September Space in Manhattan. All of these event organizers are dedicated to the support of the 9-11 victims' families. We were honored to have them help us with the events. Pat Archer joined us for the Manhattan event. We were very glad to have her helping us. After almost 2 ˝ years you may think the victims' families would be moving on like some of us are. Yes, some families have moved on but not many. When Dennis and I were in New Jersey we meet more families who are finding it hard to move on. I meet a mother that just broke down crying as she was hugging her quilt. She could fell the love and comfort. She kept telling me that she was sorry for crying but this meant so much to her that someone thought of her in her grief. My son was married she told me so I was not included in a lot of the events. I put my arms around her and told her that it was okay for her to cry. As the tears kept rolling from her face she kept thanking me for not forgetting as other have. I had the great honor to meet Alison and Jeff Crowther. They touch me deeply as they told me of their son Welles Crowther. He was a young man age 24 working on the 104th floor of the South Tower. He worked for Sandler & O'Neil. This young man gave his life saving others. He saved 28 people that day. He carried one woman down fifteen flights of stairs on his back while leading others to safety. People didn't know his name only that he wrapped a red bandana around his mouth and nose. For 76 minutes, Welles barked orders telling the people he knew the way out. Because of this young man 28 people are alive now. His dad told me the story of when Welles was younger he told him that you wear one hanky for show and the other in your back pocket was to blow your nose. Jeff a retired fireman was very proud of his son. You could tell it as he talked about his son. Jeff pull out his bandana which was blue and told me he always carries his as did his son but, his son always carried a red bandana. Both Alison and Jeff told me to check out the website www.redbandanna.org It has a short story of their son. I was ashamed that I had not known about it because of being so busy making quilts. Alison pulled out a red bandana for me to have. She told me only special people deserve to have this and you and your husband our special. I was honored but had no idea why me. She smiled and told me her son saved lives and I'm helping mend broken hearts. It didn't matter where we were the story all seem to break your heart. A child came up to me and asked if I had a picture of her daddy so she could see it because she misses her daddy so much. One very attracted young lady told me the pain she was going through due to the fact that since she wasn't married they were leaving her out of everything. As the tears were rolling down her face she told us that one of the memorials that they had for her fiancé it was held on the day they were suppose to be married. One widow came up to me and asked me how do you mend a heart that is broken in so many pieces? All I could do was wrapped my arms around her and tell her one day at a time. As the words were coming out of my mouth I also wondered how, as I looked at her and saw the tears streaming down her face. As she walked with the quilted that she wanted she hugged Dennis, Pat, and I again and thanked us for all we were doing. One father was waiting in the car crying while his wife and daughter were picking out their quilt. We asked his daughter if her dad would like a quilt. He was so overwhelmed because no one had given him anything and now he was receiving a quilt in honor of his son. A daughter lost her mother. Her father was going through so much that she was in charge of taking care of everything for her dad. As we talked with the families they talked about all the stress they were dealing with and how some families due to stress have passed away. The most painful of all was when one lady came up to me and told me when I leave NY I can leave this behind me while the rest of them can't. It stares them in the face all the time. They are reminder everyday of their lives. Everywhere there are reminders. Many still have not recovered their loved ones bodies and many still have nightmares of that day. Some can not get pass Sept 11, 2001. They all have their support groups which helps cope with their pain to know others are going through the same thing. I could not tell her what I have gone through for it wasn't about me. This is about them. I couldn't tell her that there isn't a day or night that goes by that I don't think about them. I also have a hard time sleeping for all I see is the faces of so many that we have touched. So many stories that just break your heart as they unfold. As they grieve for a family member I grieve for them all. I couldn't tell her that my heart was broken in many little pieces because she needed me to be strong. When I talked to Linnie a fireman from Manhattan Engine 54 Ladder 4, he told me it was still very hard on him. You see in his firehouse they lost 15 good men and one of them was John Tipping. When we got home on the 17th of Feb we received a letter from Michael Kelly's parents. Michael was a reporter that died in Iraq. Another reminder that we are truly are making a difference. As I talked about my other mission and all of the families agreed that the soldiers families should not be forgotten and they were glad that I wasn't going to forget them. Our soldiers are putting their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. We can honor our fallen soldiers by giving to the soldiers' families Freedom Quilts. If you would like to help please contact me God Bless Everyone Betty