Publisher's Introduction

This day one month ago, a tragedy occured at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in America. The staff of Beautiful Dreamer extends their sympathies to victims and those affected by these events. In light of the current conflicts ensuing, we have dedicated this October issue to exploring these events through factual articles, statistics, survivor accounts, as well as the staff's feelings on the events and their opinions. Just as a disclaimer, each individual writer is expressing their opinion. This does not mean that each of us agrees or that you have to agree so please do not email me with any opinions back.

If any readers have something that they would like to share, please feel free to send it in and I will look it over and publish it in the next issue. I thank you all for your patience and hope that we will all remain united throughout the world in this time of uncertainty.

Amanda Meek

Quotes for the Soul

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
- Japanese Proverb

"Don't find fault. Find a remedy."
-Henry Ford

"Build for your team a feeling of oneness of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity."
-Vince Lombardi

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall"
- Confucius

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
--Patrick Henry, March 23,1775

How timely to find an old article in my Grandfather's attic in between the beams of wood on top of the insulation, dated 1942.
From a section called "So They Say" in the Akron Beacon Journal, it says:

"We must make peace blossom out of the war as our enemies made war explode out of peace."
-John B. Condliffe, University of California professor

Tribute sites

http://web1.duc.auburn.edu/~peckrob/wtc_tribute.html

http://lightacandle.sol.dk/

Information

-- American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 en route from Boston to Los Angeles with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots

-- American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 operating from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles with 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots

-- United Flight 93, a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed from Newark, NJ, at 8:01 a.m. local time, bound for San Francisco, with 38 passengers onboard, 2 pilots and 5 flight attendants.

-- United Flight 175, a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed from Boston at 7:58 a.m. local time, bound for Los Angeles, with 56 passengers onboard, 2 pilots and 7 flight attendants.

Interesting figures:

The date of the attack: 9/11 - 9 + 1 + 1 = 11
September 11th is the 254th day of the year: 2 + 5 + 4 = 11
After September 11th there are 111 days left to the end of the year.
119 is the area code to Iraq/Iran. 1 + 1 + 9 = 11
Twin Towers - standing side by side, looks like the number 11
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11

State of New York - The 11th State added to the Union
New York City - 11 Letters
Afghanistan - 11 Letters
The Pentagon - 11 Letters
Ramzi Yousef - 11 Letters (convicted for orchestrating the attack on the WTC in 1993)
Flight 11 - 92 on board - 9 + 2 = 11
Flight 77 - 65 on board - 6 + 5 = 11

Thoughts by Merle Stephenson

I've spent a lot of time thinking about all that's happened in the last couple of weeks. About the attack on the Trade Center and the forthcoming war, and what I see are thousand upon thousands of personal tragedies. For all of the family, friends and lovers of those who perished in the attack and that will perish in the future for as long as the war lasts. I know that it is a necessary action, but it still saddens me. War is not like a John Wayne movie, and there is no reset button in life.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A Dream of Peace by Merle Stephenson

I lay dreaming of a day when peace will rule the earth

Stand with a vision that will spread loves rebirth

Walk among the ruble of mans wasted time

See that which we ignore and perceive the crime

My only weapons are these words I indite

Pray they make the difference, a movement to incite

Conceive of a day when armies disband

May we teach not to clash but to understand

Introduction to Merle's poems:

I went through my archives and found a couple of things that I would like to share with you. A couple of personal tragedies of my own that someone out there might be able to relate to. Losing friends and lovers is always a pivotal point in life and I wrote these many years ago, in my youth. I was in college during the Vietnam War, but many of my friends were not so lucky, and I lost some of them. “Johnny B.” is about a pair of my friends, just how far one bullet can travel and how many times it can kill. I think, “The Arms of an Angel” is self explanatory. Well for what it’s worth here they are…………

Johnny B. by Merle Stephenson

Upon his graduation day
Johnny B. did fly away
The army sent him far across the sea
To be all that he could be
With home in his heart and a rifle in his hand
In a rice paddy he did stand
Dreaming dreams of Jenny Lee
For she was his one true love you see
Dreaming of the day they’d marry
Her picture in a locket he did carry
He didn’t understand that war was real
To one so young it was no big deal
The bullet came without a sound
And Johnny B. fell to the ground
With Jenny’s locket in his hand held tight
For his last breath he did fight
With a single tear in his eye
Johnny B. in the mud did die
Their future was gone with out a start
Leaving Jenny Lee with a broken heart
That night Jenny walked by the sea
To say goodbye to Johnny B.

The paper called it an accident
But I say that bullet wasn’t spent
It had traveled back across the sea
And pierced the heart of Jenny Lee
For she was found beneath Point Blye
On the rocks by the waves she did lie
Her life's blood spilled on the sand
And Johnny’s ring clutched in her hand

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Arms of an Angel by Merle Stephenson

I once kissed an Angel with hair of gold
Held heaven in my arms loves depth untold
With skin soft as the Christmas snow
And eyes deep blue with passions glow
I once kissed an Angel and gave her my heart

And she kept it safe though we were apart
But I lost my sweet Angel in a faceless crowd
She disappeared behind a distant cloud
So I searched the heavens for the answer to where
My Angel had gone but it was not there
And when I finally learned of her fate
My tears fell like rain for it was to late
And though my heart cried out, I knew it would never be
For my sweet Angel from heaven had been taken from me
Though it’s been many years now, my soul still cries
For in the arms of an Angel my heart yet lies

One Peace At a Time by Jough Boy

We must pick up the pieces
of this tragedy most unforeseen
and stand bold in anticipation
of the justice to be rendered.
Only then shall we acquire
this reality we conceive,
one peace at a time.

Hell On Earth by Sonja Greub

My eyes stared in disbelief
mere words perform no justice
feelings overwhelming my existence
to the brink of numbness
in realization of such horror
fueled by hellish, malicious minds
unable am I to comprehend
as my heart cries out in pain.

An Account by Amanda C. Millard

I have been and still am on the road. I was camping near Charlottetown, P.E.I. on "That Tuesday" and had just made it downtown with my beau in search of breakfast. A young man approached us, and seeing our backpacks, asked if he could interview us as he was a journalism student and thought maybe some stories of our travels would make a small article. Then he blurted out: "So, have you heard today's news? The World Trade towers have both been attacked by planes and one has collapsed. The Pentagon was hit, too and a bomb went off at the state." We just stared in disbelief. It sounded ridiculous. After the interview, we went to a restaurant with a TV and ate- shocked as we watched each tower falling to the ground, looking so fragile. Over and over again they showed the footage from different angles, but the effect didn't wear off in time. Suddenly, the security of being back home in BC felt appealing. Feeling so anxious to know what was really going down, I didn't want to have to think about all the options- I just wanted the facts, and every report following that moment was mostly general, insignificant facts. We're still unsure who did this, and there are various theories as to why.

I recently talked with a friend who had traveled and worked in the Middle East. He explained to me that it is not a shock for many people there to hate America. They look at how rich and powerful America is, how good the average lifestyle is, and how tolerant to different religions we are. They are envious of 1st World way of life, yet also they despise it. The only way those in the 1st World can live the way that we do is by using up so many resources, throwing so much away- all through the exploitation of the 3rd World. The pieces of American society that slip through to them show a materialistic happiness, and so those who have money want to have more so they can wear brand names and drive fancy cars like Americans. They are losing their religious morals and striving to be consumerists but most can't achieve that. Now I think the terrorist attacks were horrendous, and I also think there are many Middle Eastern people who wouldn't want to harm innocent people. We must not put all the blame on these people. We must try to understand what sort of political climate can create terrorist groups like this so that we can figure out ways to stop them from persuading more people to join their side. Don't be fooled by propaganda that tells you Middle Eastern people are all the enemy, that they all are rejoicing for the attacks. We must keep tabs on those in power, and hope they don't make any mistakes that will involve all of us.

I do not believe in war and I will not kill for my country. Most of the people who get killed are young people who fight because they are forced, they are too poor otherwise, or because they have been swayed by propaganda that says they are heroes if they go kill people who never wanted there to be a war either. The men on top who decide to call "war" are rarely the ones who get hurt. How many people in the world actually want there to be wars at all? I doubt there are very many. I sincerely hope this will not turn into a war, but I am prepared for the worst.

Answers Why by Molly Lemmer

Caught not completely off guard,
The words sink in my brain and
Swim in my heart as visions of fire
And death rain through my mind's eye.
One question, repeated:
"Why?"
One answer, so calm and collected:
"You Know Why."

This is a story that I received through an email list. It gave me chills when I read it. ~Amanda Meek

MET IN THE STAIRWELL- by Stacey Randall
9/16/01 Glory to God

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news, Sept. 11, 2001. Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home-only believe on Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there. Comforting and assuring them that their Faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name-though they did NOT all know Me. Some met me for the first time on the 100th floor. Some sought me out in their last breath. Some couldn't hear me calling to them throught the smoke and flames, "Come to Me...this way...take my hand."

Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.

But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day--you may not know why, But I DO. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Survivor Account by BjB

September 11, 2001 12:45pm

I wish I was writing many of you under better circumstances, but as many of you know, I am an employee of Lehman Brothers in NYC and my office is located at 1 World Trade Center (the one with the antenna) on the 38th floor. I had been at the office since 6:45am because of meetings, and yes, I was in the building when it all happened.

Since many people are trying to ask me what happened, I figured that I should write everyone in one email so that not only do you know that I am alive and physically unharmed, but so that you can hear my experience as a first-hand witness.

First, I must say that this is by far one of the most disturbing days of my life. I have seen some things today that no person should ever have to see.

Tuesday mornings I have a meeting at 7:30am in the neighboring World Financial Center building (where I used to work when I was with Merrill). I had just come back and was sitting at my desk for about 10 minutes before I heard and felt the first attack. The sound of a thunderous BOOM was heard with the jostling and swaying of the WTC 1 building. The feeling was something akin to someone grabbing you by the shoulders and swinging you back and forth a few times. Startled by this, I looked out the window just a few feet away to see glass, thousands of sheets of paper and large metal pieces raining down from above. My first reaction was that the top of the building blew off by some gas explosion or that a plane or helicopter had clipped the top of the building. Wanting to go closer to the window and look out, the better of my senses came about and I grabbed my wallet, keys and Palm Pilot (they were right in front of me) and ran to the emergency stairwell.

It's funny how nobody really knows where the stairwell is until something like this happens.

As mentioned above, I am on the 38th floor. It took me 20 minutes to get down. The stairs are only wide enough for two people abreast, and several times the flow of person traffic stopped. Around the 20th floor, we started seeing lots of smoke. Around the 9th floor, the firemen, running up the stairs, passed by with the look of uncertainty in their eyes... water started rushing down the stairs like a river a few floors further below.

At this point, nobody knew what was going on. The temperature in the stairwell was rising due to the amount of people trying to get out, and the sounds of men and women getting nervous didn't help the people trying to cling to their sanity. I don't think the people on the lower floors had any idea to what extent things were going on, and I don't think the people on the upper floors had much time to think about it.

Exiting the stairs in the upper lobby of the building (still inside) flashed a scene to the fountain area outside (the area between the two towers that people may remember Homer Simpson had a boot on his car in, if you saw that one). Completely evacuated, but the sound of "pebbles" brought me to look out the large windows to see a the outside raining glass, debris and burning "stuff". The direction that everyone was running was towards a covered bridge that runs between the WTC and the World Financial Center (across the west side highway, going towards the water). I wish I didn't but from this point until after I had crossed the highway, I had saw several bodies.. one thing that you never want to see is someone falling 80 stories to the.. well, I'll leave it there. Yes, I saw "the whole thing". We had to quickly run across from our building to the building where the bridge is.

Walking quickly towards the water, I finally got a chance to look back at the building. At this point, I had no idea that there was anything wrong with the WTC 2 building (the one without the antenna, second hit, it was the one that was the first to fall and was hit more in the middle). Making it closer to the water, the sight of one of the tallest buildings in the world in flames makes you a bit terrified, but very thankful that you made it out.

In a bit of a daze, I continued to walk north along the waterfront on the west side of Manhattan. I had found a friend of mine from Merrill Lynch (Brian Yarrington) walking in the same direction and tried to talk about other things.. not really able to complete sentences, I tried borrowing his cell phone to call my family (who were no doubt _FREAKING_ out), but cell reception wasn't happening. At some point, I had been able to look back and notice the size of the damage to WTC 1. I still did not know that WTC 2 had been hit.

About another three quarters of a mile down the road, I finally saw the damage that had been done to WTC 2 and had overheard someone talking about a bomb going off in that building. Continued to walk home.

These days I have been living in the West Village between 6th and 7th avenues around Christopher St. and West 4th. I had said goodbye to my friend Brian and started walking east into Manhattan's Greenwich Village. I had stopped on Hudson street to talk with some people who were standing in the street listening to the news on a car stereo. I told my story, declined some help and "you should see a doctor" talk and continued walking towards my apartment. Somewhere between Bleeker St. and 7th avenue, I see and hear the screams of people on 7th avenue (about 50 ft. away) looking in the direction of the towers. Asking what had just happened, people told me that WTC 2 had just collapsed (the first collapse). About this time, I saw my apartment's super, a woman named Ana, and just went over to her and threw my arms around her.

I finally went back to my apartment and tried to call my family on a normal phone. No such luck, the phone system was extremely clogged.

Eventually I made it over to 6th avenue and bumped into an acquaintance from the office (he sat a row away from me). We turned to see the WTC 1 building collapse into nothing.

Funny, as we were parting ways, I started to say "See you tomorrow..." ... I stopped after "See you..." when we realized that we should just finish the sentence with "when I see you.."

Well, it took me three hours to write this. I apologize to the people who have been worried about me for the last few hours, but know that I am safe and only a little shaken up.

Peace.
-BjB