"That's where Jim's office was prior to the company being sold," said Tara Knicos, pointing to an area where only burned pieces of metal jutted from the ground as she surveyed the devastation following a fire that burned for 36 hours this past week and destroyed the Nicos Polymer building just outside Nazareth in Plainfield Township.

She and her husband Jim had started the company while they were still dating over 29 years ago. Day after day, the Bethlehem residents had both worked hard to make the recycling company a success. Many sacrifices were made to see their dream come true.While they sold the company four years ago, they maintained ownership of the property and building."We put our heart and soul into our company," she said during a visit to the site Friday. "It was our home away from home."When she received a call Tuesday morning from her brother, Dan Sheehan of Bethlehem Township, she sobbed when he told her about the fire. Their building was burning to the ground. Seventy-five fire trucks were on site battling the stubborn blaze.All they could do was go and watch as the flames consumed their dream.But amidst the pain of their loss were rays of hope.The Knicos said they were touched by the community outpouring they received. They were warmed by the compassion of neighbors who came and stood by their side telling them how sorry they were and assuring them everything would be OK.They were extremely grateful that no one was hurt in the fire and that none of the firefighters were injured as they put all they had into fighting the fire.When people asked what they could do as the fire raged, the Knicos simply requested them to "pray for the firefighters."Two acts of kindness made them feel like they were more than just insurance clients. Suzanne Cressman, a Cincinatti Insurance Company claim specialist, held their hands and listened as the Knicos worried about a rose bush that was a family heirloom and a weather vane that was given as a Christmas gift. The rose bush was from Tara's grandfather and the weather vane was a left-handed golfer given to Jim by Tara's brother, Sheehan.Cressman had her workers dig the rose bush from the ground and the weather vane was taken down as soon as it was safe to do so.Alan Goodrich, their local insurance broker for 20 years, stood by them, understanding their devastation. He had been a frequent visitor over the years to their special building.Looking out at the charred remains, Tara said she could still see life. Trees continue to grow, surrounded by a bed of burned refuse. Butterflies fluttered through the garden that led the way to what had been the entrance of the building. A garden tenderly planted with cuttings from Tara's garden at home still looked up to the sun. Birds sang their summer song and seemed oblivious to the surrounding destructionTara said she was comforted by a hawk that flew overhead. She felt the bird was watching over her.As they looked around at the burned out emains of the building, Tara and Jim said they were grateful."It gives us great comfort knowing God is with us in the prayers and kindnesses of others," Tara said.