This is borrowed from a wise law school classmate…and I could not agree more.
The Day Before…
Tomorrow marks the 19th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 – a day that truly will live in infamy. But for some nagging reason, with each year that passes, I suggest that today, not tomorrow, is the saddest of days for the surviving families, friends and co-workers of all of those souls who so violently perished.
Why today? Well today, nineteen years ago, was the gift of a memory that lingers in the hearts of those survivors. Was it a “wasted” day? A typical “back to work” Monday following a beautiful crisp early autumn weekend? Did a breakfast get rushed, or a dinner skipped, or a stupid argument ensue? Was a husband watching TV while his wife slept, or were the kids acting up? Were they scolded? Were they kissed goodnight?
Today is the day – nineteen years go – that I would remember if I had lost my spouse in that terrible attack. It would haunt me and replay in my mind forever. A full day, from rising to bedtime and everything in between. Our last night together – ever. What was said? What could have been said differently? Was I kind to her? Was I so embroiled in the mundane bullshit of “life” that I failed to embrace the moment as much as I could have?
So I guess what I’m trying to say, in an awkward and melancholy way, is to take the time today and everyday for another hug, or another kiss, or another smile, or another “I love you” – because we truly never know when it will be our last.