Hell, Thank you for the story. I remember you writing to me soon after 9/11 at how you and your friends in New Zealand were so affected, particularly by the stories of the firefighters. When I met the two from NY and thanked them they both hugged me and got tears in their eyes. Now you know probably lots of people have thanked them (especially since these two had participated in the bike race across the U.S. soon after the tragedy to raise funds) and it is really something that they are still so immediately emotional and right there.
I watched the film with my parents last night. As some of my friends here know, my father is almost completely senile and incapacitated. He can no longer express himself coherently and needs constant care for everything. As we watched, my mother wondered if he really understood or comprehended what he was seeing. I am always hopeful and said that I thought he did understand. At the end of the film, they did a tribute, showing photographs of all the hundreds of firemen who died that day and someone sang every verse of the most beautiful rendition of "Danny Boy." At that point, my father suddenly started singing along, perfectly, every word, every verse, every note in his beautiful Irish tenor voice. My mother was stunned and could not believe what she was hearing. I just smiled and thought it was fantastic. An early St. Patrick's Day blessing, I'd say ;-) Kakki
