In times of tragedy, Americans reach out

I went first to give blood and then to see what the local hospital needed. Others in Monmouth County had the same idea — thousands stood in line hoping their act of giving blood would save lives. At the hospital, hundreds volunteered. We paused and put our arms around frantic strangers trying to reach their loved ones on their cell phones. Five years later, I know that 9-11 alone didn't teach us about the fragility of life — we knew that already through our own individual life experiences. What Sept. 11 now reminds me of is that when Americans see the broken-hearted, injured, homeless or downtrodden, we often do follow the better angels of our nature and reach out our hands and offer that which is most important — ourselves and our love for our fellow human beings. Jacalyn Shelley, Egg Harbor Twp - Published in the Atlantic City Press, September 11, 2006