Re: 09-11 story for all of you.

Thanks, Bill.  You did REAL good. You did the equivalent of winning a BIG
weigh-off.  Steve M.

--- On Fri, 9/11/09, willyrain@aol.com <willyrain@aol.com> wrote:

From: willyrain@aol.com <willyrain@aol.com>
Subject: 09-11 story for all of you.
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009, 5:37 AM

Hello all, many of you have read this story before, but for 09-11, I
am sending it out again.
Please feel free to share the story with your friends.
My hope is that the story one day gets to the New York City Policeman
who touched my heart and helped to inspire the story.
God bless,
Bill Garvey




Story called,

God Bless You Man
Our family has been growing giant pumpkins for competition for the
last 17 years. We have won many contest and once started a business
shipping giant pumpkins all over the USA.

We even had cards printed that said "The Pumpkin Man!" Our cards
pictured my daughter Natalie sitting on one of our prize winning giant
pumpkins dressed in a pumpkin costume.
With time our world changed and although we still competed in
contests, we grew our garden more for the fun of it. We found more
love in childrens smiles then we found in blue ribbons, so we donated
many of our best pumpkins to hospitals and schools each year to make a
special Halloween!
Then came September 11, 2001. We all held our breath waiting.
President Bush asked us to give our best to heal America. What could
we do to heal America?
Then one day I woke up and had the answer! We would take our best
pumpkin to New York City to help them smile.
Our best pumpkin weighed just over 500 pounds and was perfect in shape.
I excitedly told my boss Jill about my plan and she was all for it! So
off I went trying to find a place to take it, after just over a week
of frustration, I was starting to get discouraged. I didnt know what
to do next, then Jill came up with several new people to contact and
maps of where to go if we were finally going to get the go ahead to
succeed.
On October 10, 2001, one of our leads finally came through. We
received a call from the Red Cross at the New York Family Assistance
Center. It was like a dream come true! They said they would love to
have the Pumpkin, when could you deliver it? I told them I wanted to
deliver it tomorrow on the 1-month anniversary of the crashing of the
World Trade Center. I was told no problem; they would love to have it.
I told them that I have to carve it first, then I could leave at
3:00am and I would be there by 4:00pm the next day. They said that
would be great!
My manager at work told me to go home and get it done. My wife
Lorraine and I carved the pumpkin for 6 hours, only cutting it 1/2"
deep into the skin, mostly because they wanted it to last for several
weeks and this is the only way we could do it. Normally we cut right
through to the inside, but if we did that it may not have lasted till
Halloween.
We started this operation at 4:00pm on Oct 10th and finished at 10pm.
By the time we finished loading the pumpkin it was 11:00pm
The finished face of the pumpkin had a little boy praying for the left
eye and a little girl praying for the right eye, both the little boy
and girl was surrounded by hearts. The nose were the firemen putting
up the flag at the World Trade Center and the mouth was the word
AMERICA shaped to make a smile.

We wanted to tell everyone that had lost so much that they were in our
hearts and in our prayers.

I left for New York City on the morning of Oct. 11, 2001 at 3am.
What a drive! The fall colors in the mountains in Pennsylvania were
awesome! I have never saw so much beautiful country in one trip in my
life (I kept humming, America the Beautiful the whole way).
30 miles from New York City I was starting to get a little worried I
would miss a turn. All of a sudden a voice came on the CB, "Hey
Michigan, How much that Pumpkin weigh?" I replied just over 500
pounds." The voice came back. What are you doing with a pumpkin that
is 500 pounds that says America on it?
I replied that this pumpkin is going to the Red Cross Family
Assistance Center in New York City. The radio got quite for a minute,
then the voice said are you doing it by yourself or do you have
someone sponsoring you? I told him that it started as my dream but
that my boss at work in Michigan had helped me make it happen by
letting me go home early to carve it and letting me have a few days
off to make it happen!
This truck driver from Buffalo, NY. I had never met in my life helped
me for the next 30 miles! He said move over a lane, he said slow down
the road is going to get rough for a few miles. It was almost like he
was helping me drive my truck. This angel followed me all the way to
my exit (the Lincoln Tunnel).
When I left his company he said "Hey Michigan, when you get back home,
tell your boss, that New York Says God Bless her for letting you come!
I said thank you for getting me there!
I made it to the Red Cross Center with no problem. Once I got there I
had to go through an extensive search of my truck. I met some Great
people! Several of the Police officers couldn't believe that the
pumpkin was real (after a bomb sniffing dog checked it out, I guess
they believed me). A police officers that had checked under the front
of my truck told me not to worry, they did this to everyone! I told
him that I understand. He laughed as he said you should have a license
plate that says the Pumpkin Man. I smiled and told him " Thanks I once
was that and I guess I am again today!"
I was waiting to unload the pumpkin when one of the younger New York
Police Officers asked me how long it took me to carve the pumpkin, I
said about 6 hours, he shook his head in disbelief and said "God Bless
you man!" Then he asked me how long it took me to get there, I said
about 11 hours, he again said "God Bless you man!" I said I thought
you guys would be happy. He said you cant even imagine how many kids
you are going to make smile. I said thanks, that is why I came!
We were both standing there smiling, then told me that his brother was
in one of the towers that went down, I grabbed his shoulder and said
"Dear God I am sorry"(we both looked into each others eyes and we were
on the verge of tears!) He said "you came so far and I cant believe
you care so much." I told him "everyone I know in Michigan and all
over the United States cares as much as I do!" He then pointed to all
of the police officers from all over the United States that were
helping, and started naming all the different states they were from,
then he said, "but to have someone come like you did, means you really
care!" I replied I have had a knot in my stomach and tears in my eyes
since this all began, all of you have been in our hearts ever since!"
"People like you are why I came!"
On the 12 hour drive home I had smile on my face and a tears in my
eyes thinking about all of the angels who had forever touched my life.
My only goal in going to New York was to help all the people that lost
so much feel a little better.
Thank you American Red Cross for helping me achieve my goal and NY, NY
for having me.
God Bless You Man!


William J. Garvey

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