They are all around you

"I went to do relief work three years ago in the Dominican Republic. I felt I was so distant from the refugees, so I couldn't sense their suffering. I felt I was there to learn. But now I am doing relief work after the 9-11 incident, and the victims touch me deeply because they are right next to me." Peggy Shen, a Tzu Chi volunteer, has pitched in to help ever since the beginning of the tragedy.

Peggy speaks fluent English and Cantonese. Her short hairdo clearly defines her facial features. She had lived in Chinatown for many years before moving to New Jersey last year. Since her sister, Tzu Chih, was a Tzu Chi commissioner in New Jersey, she joined Tzu Chi several years ago. She also went to do relief work in South America in August last year.

After the September 11 attacks, she went to help at the Tzu Chi relief station at Pier 94. Recently, Tzu Chi set up another service station in Chinatown, just a short block away from Peggy's office at the Chinese American Independent Practice Association. Because of her fluency in Cantonese, she was a great help to Cantonese speakers who had survived the attacks. Before coming to work every day, she always went first to the Tzu Chi station to help.

Peggy recalled with tears that a firefighter's wife told her that her husband had died in the incident, but she would still be strong enough to raise a four-year-old and a six-year-old. She wouldn't cave in to the terrorists. This woman spoke with much determination and strength, but with tears in her eyes that made Peggy also want to weep.

Tzu Chi work comes first

As a dentist, Sister Lin Hui-ju, a Tzu Chi volunteer from New Jersey, was able to walk through police checkpoints to the World Trade Center immediately after the incident and was able to pass all kinds of information from the scene to volunteers outside the blockade. On the second day, she saw many rescue workers sweating and wishing for something cool to drink. She immediately informed the Salvation Army that Tzu Chi could send in cold bottled water. Because of this, our volunteers were able to transport ice and cold water directly to the rescue workers in the disaster area. In the evening of the third day, it suddenly became very cold and the rescue workers all hoped for something hot to drink. Lin immediately told us to prepare the corn soup the Americans love the most. Indeed, the first thirty gallons of corn soup became a favorite with the rescue workers, and they asked for the soup for many days after.

We have to thank Sister Lin for her quick information and careful observations, which helped us bring in appropriate supplies to the disaster area. Despite her skinny build, she still ran between New York and New Jersey for more than a month.

We always saw her at Pier 94, and when we asked her how she could abandon her patients to come here, she often told us, "Tzu Chi work comes first!" None of us could match her spirit.

One day Sister Lin told me proudly that an injured Chinese woman had received a large sum of emergency money through her help. She also told me that this injured person told her that she would join her as a volunteer after she had recovered. Sister Lin was very proud of that. She was now applying for financial support for several families of victims. She smiled all the time, never tiring of the troubles that came to her. We just felt terrible to see the dark circles around her eyes.

Cherishing blessings

"It's an enormous blessing for me to come help at Pier 94," said Vivian Chang, who had been a volunteer at the Tzu Chi School of Humanities in New York for several years. She came to Pier 94 the first day that Tzu Chi began to distribute relief goods.

"I never thought I would be here for more than a month," said Vivian. At first, she would try to hold back her tears when she was listening to the stories that families told about their missing loved ones. But when they had left, her feelings would pour out.

She always came at 8 a.m. She worked for a financial consulting firm, just above the Tzu Chi New York branch office in the same building. She went to volunteer at the Tzu Chi School of Humanity every weekend and lived an easy life. However, her life was completely changed after September 11. Because she came in contact with victims' families every day, she was able to understand Tzu Chi better. For instance, she hadn't understood the Tzu Chi concept of "directness" in carrying out rescue work. After joining the relief work at the pier, she understood why Master Cheng Yen wanted Tzu Chi people to hand over relief goods directly to disaster victims. The Master wanted them to personally experience caring and mutual help between people. Vivian also said that after seeing so many tragedies, she felt she was very fortunate and had learned to cherish all her blessings.

She blinked her eyes when she recalled a sad story: A young mother holding a baby told her that she lived near a train station in New Jersey. Whenever she heard the 9 p.m. train, she would believe her husband might miraculously appear before her, because he always used to take that train home from the World Trade Center every evening. She could still hear the train every evening at nine, but her husband would never show up again. Their two young children didn't even know their father was dead and would never return. Vivian's voice choked at this point.

Use love to soothe the pain

Kuo Pi-lien of the Tzu Chi Long Island office went to help at Pier 94 every day. At a Tzu Chi candlelight vigil, she heard the sad story of Mrs. Chang, who had come alone from Taiwan to New York to arrange for her daughter's funeral. Pi-lien brought Mrs. Chang home and helped her to fill out all the necessary documents.

Mrs. Chang didn't speak English, and she was quite perplexed by all the complicated documents. She was already heartbroken by the death of her daughter, and now the complicated procedures were leaving her completely exhausted.

Pi-lien said that it would usually take both of them the whole day for some procedures, and sometimes it took them two days if all the needed documents weren't ready. One time Pi-lien had to go to Pier 94, and she took Mrs. Chang along. Mrs. Chang was very happy to be there because the Tzu Chi volunteers treated her as dearly as their own mothers.

Pi-lien said that at Pier 94 she often saw an American woman sitting in a restaurant, staring into space. One day she walked over to her and talked with her. The woman seemed a little absentminded, and she spoke with a quavering voice. She had survived the September 11 attacks, and ever since then she was too afraid to stay home alone. She always felt safe with other people around her. So she came to Pier 94 every day and went home only when her family had returned. Pi-lien spent a long time listening to this woman pour out her grief, hoping that she could thus find some peace.

Many people have been tormented psychologically since the attacks, and Pi-lien said that Tzu Chi people in the United States would have to use love and patience to care for survivors and victims' families for a long time. Only love can soothe the pain of the survivors of September 11.