With the anniversary of September 11^th so fresh in my mind, I couldn’t help but reflect upon all of those people who lost their lives that day and all of those who lost loved ones that day.  It also reminded me about how we so often take for granted the lives that we have and how it is so easy not to appreciate each and every day for what it brings to us.  It also reminded me about how we treat one another and how we get so wrapped up in everything else in our lives except for a true appreciation for those people who are in our lives.  What if our world were to end today!  Would we be happy for the way we treated those around us?  Were the last words that we said to someone else something that we were glad that we shared?  Would we be happy with how we lived our own last day?

I don’t know about anyone else but to me, 9/11 does not stand for politics or religion or anger and hatred toward others.  Those things are such a sad commentary to include in remembering all of those people who were innocent victims and those who gave their lives trying to help others.  For me, I want this anniversary to represent the best of what we all do to help each other in times of trouble.  I want it to represent how we come together in a crisis and pray and love and give whatever we have and whatever we are in order to ease the pains of someone else.  And I also want it to serve as a reminder that we are not promised anything more than this moment.

I know that if this were my last day, I would have no regrets.  I have gotten a few things done for tomorrow but that has not been my focus.  I appreciate this most gorgeous day and wonder at all of the beautiful things that God has created all around us.  I am enjoying the time that I get to spend with my husband and while I am sitting here sharing with you, I am also watching a football game which is one of my favorite relaxations on weekends.  I appreciate what I have, what I have accomplished and know that the dreams that I wish to fulfill have nothing to do with building a fortune or amassing a pile of stuff.  I feel so fortunate for my life and for all of the people that are in it.

So if I am given tomorrow, I will be ready to pursue those dreams, do the very best job that I can at work, love my husband just a little bit more and appreciate those around me from whom I can continue to learn so much and with whom I can share so much.  And as I remember 9/11 and each and every other special day throughout the year, I do hope that I will appreciate all of the opportunities that come my way. But more importantly, I hope that I am always grateful for every single person that I am fortunate enough to meet and know.  And for all of you who are already in my life, thank you for everything that we share.  You make my life so much better for my having you in my life.

How do you enjoy each day?  COMMENTS

I wonder why it sometimes takes me so long to understand things.  Each year as I take out the ornaments and decorate the tree, my mind wanders to the holidays of the past and all of the memories of Christmases past.  I keep trying to hold on to all of the traditions of those times and going home to be with my family, as always, hoping for a good snowfall to make the shopping just a little more festive.  And this year was no exception, until today, when I realized that nothing in my life is the same as it was back then so how do I expect that I can recreate those memories?  And why do I want to do so?

In those days, I celebrated with my grandparents, my parents, my sister and her husband and daughter and my brother and his wife.  This year my sister and her husband are in Holland for the holidays visiting their daughter who lives there now in the home country of her father, my sister-in-law is in PA with her mother and all others have passed away.  Those memories were all created on the East Coast and here I am living on the West Coast.  And while all of those memories are pretty exceptionally great, they are just that – memories.

I have never been one to live in the past.  The past is something that is over and done and can’t be changed but today is my opportunity to create something special and new and to figure out how to make tomorrow even better.  So it should be for today and this holiday season as well.  If I spend all of my time thinking about past memories, I can’t possibly create new ones that are special and memorable for this year.

Therefore, I have officially put all of my memories where they belong, in the past, and I am creating a new and wonderful set of holiday memories for today and every day.  I want to spend the time doing things and/or just being with my husband.  I want to share a bit of the holidays with my special friends. I want each and every gift that I pick to be special for the recipient and I want to enjoy the beautiful weather and surroundings that I have in my life.

Most of all, I want to remember what the holidays truly represent and make the most of the sentiments that are shared.  So what will happen if I can’t find the perfect presents or don’t have all of the perfect decorations or have some people around me who don’t have any holiday spirit?  It really doesn’t matter.  I have a wonderful life, a wonderful husband, some very special friends, a good job and food and clothing and shelter.  I don’t need presents, etc. just because it is Christmas.  I have everything I need and want already in my life and the only thing that I want more this holiday season is to be able to share with others who need my help.  I want to be able to give to others and to make a difference in the lives of others.  And as far as I can see, that is what the holiday season is truly all about.

What does the holiday season mean to you? COMMENTS

Earlier this week, I watched some of the coverage of the devastation from the earthquakes and tsunamis in the regions of Indonesia and those sights were totally surreal.  I watched local coverage of those people who lost family and friends in those parts of the world and couldn’t begin to imagine what they were feeling.  And then my mind wandered to thoughts of how everything can be changed forever in a single moment and how fragile life really is.

Many turned away from the news stories and buried themselves in other programming but I don’t really think that it is because they didn’t care or weren’t concerned because it didn’t happen in their areas.  I think that it was because they didn’t want to confront the reality of the devastation, the loss of so many lives, the extent of injuries and the photos of all of the people who did survive who were left without homes and food and water and had no idea of how they could possibly keep going.  And then I couldn’t help but wonder, what if something like that had happened to me today?

I know how truly fortunate I am.  I know that the most important thing in my life has always been and will always be other people.  I have the best husband in the world and I absolutely treasure the person that he is and the love and caring that he gives to me every single day.  I have only a few family members left and they live on the other side of the country but I know that they are always there for us and that is something that money can’t buy.  I have wonderful friends and co-workers and we all look out for one another.  All of that means more to me than I could ever express.  And that is when I realized that if something like a devastating earthquake happened in my area today, as long as my husband and our families and friends all made it through, we would be just fine.

The reason I know that is that I have seen the power of people united before.  I have seen people gather and help one another at times of crisis.  No, I am not naïve enough to believe that everyone is that way.  I have seen the other side of humanity at times like the Los Angeles riots in the early 90′s.  But, even at that time when I was living alone, I did have three other friends who had joined me in my home and we all hung in there together until the immediate dangers had past and it was once again safe to leave the area.  And when we left, one of those friends took me to his family’s home where I stayed until it was safe to return to my own place.

It was in that moment when I realized that should some major event occur in my area, I really had nothing to fear.  As has happened in the past, I would once again be surrounded by people who would all help each other, those who quite often put the safety of others ahead of their own, those who have compassion and caring to soothe those who are frightened and those who would contribute everything they have to the good of everyone around them.  After all, I truly believe that this is the nature of most human beings and in times of crisis, everyone helps everyone else in whatever manner they can.

I would love your comments.