Living Live Without Regret

On this anniversary of 9/11, the nonstop coverage that used to mark this date has now been replaced with regular programming.  There are children growing up in a post-9/11 world who will never know any other way of life.  But for those of us that were around on 9/11, we know that the world was a different place before that day.  For more people than seems humanly possibly, it touched their lives as their loved ones perished needlessly on that beautiful September morning.  I personally remember feeling completely lost and confused that day and worrying about what would happen next.  The TV stayed on in our apartment 24-hours a day because I was worried that I might miss something.  To this day I hold my breath when I see a breaking news story on TV.   My husband was on a trip in Denver and ended up driving all the way back to New York just to get back home to me after every airplane was grounded that day.  Did I mention how stressed out he was that he ended up losing the car keys to his rental car, too?   My father always refused to get cable, but he lost his TV reception when the towers fell that day.  Two short years later, I lost my father only a few days before the anniversary of September 11th and as such, the anniversary of 9/11 reminds me of my own personal loss.

But I didn’t lose anyone that day compared to the countless number of families who lost mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, and children.  I read these beautiful words on Dear World from Mary Kate McErlean who as a freshman last year, spoke to her fellow classmates at Georgetown University.  I encourage you to visit the Dear World site and read it yourself as well as see the stunning picture of Mary Kate, but there is one phrase I will put it here for you to think about on this anniversary.

Though I lost so much ten years ago, I also gained life lessons that I would never have learned otherwise. I learned to live my life without a single regret. I learned to live for today rather than tomorrow. I now appreciate the people that love me and every moment I am blessed to have with each of them. I learned not to let the little things in life consume me.

I hope you all will join me in honoring those that perished that day and living life to the fullest.  Remember to tell those whom you love how important they are to you and try to live each moment of your life with purpose and without regret.