I didn’t see the twin towers.

When we left New York we refuelled at a marina on the New Jersey side and looked across the Hudson towards the heart of Manhattan. 14 years ago the view of Manhattan and the view of the world would have been quite different. The twin towers obliterated along with the lives of thousands of innocent people, not only those who were murdered but their many friends and family.

In my short visit to New York I quickly grew to love the city and the people of New York. We met with only kindness and often astonishment and enormous interest in our way of life. We’ve visited many poorer countries, well, aren’t they all, but It’s also the place where we have seen the highest number of homeless people, some clearly with mental health problems but also many women just like me, ordinary looking, fairly well dressed and clean but declaring themselves homeless and alone. This is unusual. There are too many to overlook and it’s fairly terrifying how quickly I learned to ignore what I was seeing. ‘’You can’t help them all’’ is often said but if we all did something then perhaps something would get better, but what to do?

I asked a New Yorker about these ordinary looking women, clearly not alcoholics or junkies and how could they be in this predicament. The answer given to me was healthcare. The New Yorker speculated that illness combined with lack of adequate insurance and suddenly you’re homeless, on the street, having sold everything to pay the bills. It wasn’t the answer I’d been expecting but the answer I was given.

It’s not as though New York lacks a sense of community, it feels like many villages that live alongside each other but somewhere on the road people get lost and drop out of the system that should take care of them. Someone said that a civilisation is judged on how they take care of their vulnerable people. I’m not just writing about New York, this could be any city in the world, but it seemed so out of place and out of character here.

Coming up to the time when we think 9/11 and the evil that was unleashed I would like to say how I honour and applaud the people of New York. They lived through this horror and the mess it has made of the world. I also remember those who were lost on the other planes and their bravery and heartbreaking messages of love to those they were leaving behind. What do we say to our friends and family when we know we’re about to die? It’s always the same thing, whether we are Christian, agnostic, atheist or Muslim. I love you. Who runs this world, the people who love or the people who hate? Don’t spread the hate.

I would like to read any comments, positive or negative or enlightening.