I am a firm believer that through any disaster, man made or natural, there is always a small sparkle of something positive. I had left two weeks prior to the recent disaster that hit America for a business trip. Because of the terrorist act, I found myself stranded without a flight home. Naturally, I was grieving with the rest of the world over the lost of so many human lives. I was left with the disbelief that their was truly evil in the world… EVIL in capital letters! The disbelief was mingled with an unfocused anger, frustration and deep sadness. I was filled with the yearning desire to reach out and touch another human being and to be touched.

I was stranded at one of the nations largest airports with numerous other frustrated travelers. I, like so many others, needed to find an alternative way home. So like so many of my fellow travelers I journeyed to the rental car counter inquiring on a car. There were two business men ahead of me who were in the same predicament and who, as I listened to them, were headed in the same direction as I was. I tapped one of the men on their shoulder and informed them that I needed to head in that same direction, and whether or not I could join them in their travels. We came to an agreement in which I would help in the costs for both the rental, food and over night accommodations. The vehicle they were able to obtain was a fairly large Lincoln Sedan. We gathered maps, piled our luggage in the trunk and were off.

The first day of our travels were uneventful. We exchanged names and general histories. We chatted, purposely avoiding the subject of the recent tragedy. The travel was very enjoyable and I found both men informative and funny. They were business men and like me, had gone away for business. One of them, Mike, was married with two kids. He was looking forward to seeing his family again. The other, Larry, was single (like me), looking forward to just arriving home… arriving safe at home. I think that was the first and foremost thought on all our minds, but it was an unspoken thought.