Peeka, my Peeka.  My sister through it all.  My oldest friend from childhood, Peeka has been with me through thick and thin.  Her buoyant and effervescent life-force is incredibly attractive to all who meet her.  Her light-hearted sense of humor and carefree love of life has never changed.  She is smart and talented and ran her household with the efficiency of a business.  Her life’s work are her children Georgia and Artie.  Peeka and her husband Art were dear friends to Ted and me.  They are Jennifer’s (our oldest) God parents and we are Artie’s.   When 9/11 hit, Peeka was my first friend to arrive and take control of the swarming chaos that ensued.  She kept accurate and complete notes of the donations made by people from across the country that would become Jen, Billy and Timmy’s college funds.  I had no way to handle the vast amount of gifts, contact and communication coming at us at the time and without Peeka’s copious notes I wouldn’t have been able to reach out and finally thank all of the people who so graciously donated to us with a mailer of a Bar Scott CD and photo of my kids to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of  9/11.