10 Years....

A friend and I were talking the other day about milestone anniversaries.  She was reminiscing about the loss of someone extremely significant in her life and it being 20 years since he passed and how for some reason, the milestone ones are harder to face.  It made me think, (especially with the anniversary of 9/11 looming), about anniversaries in general and the way we have come to celebrate or commemorate them. 

10 years ago, I was a newlywed, fresh off a 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii with a great new apartment in lower Manhattan, just a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center.  Of course I had experienced loss and tragedy to some degree up to that point in my life, but not the way I experienced it on Sept 11, 2001.  I've been thinking about this post for a few days and how I was going to approach it.  I can talk about the past, tell my story again, reminisce about that day, but no, I don't want to talk about that day I want to talk about the days that followed....the years that have passed since then, about moving on. 

Let me say this...NOT ONE DAY goes by that I am not reminded of Sept 11.  NOT ONE.  And not one day goes by that I am not thankful for the way Sept 11 turned out for me.  I am keenly aware of how different it could have turned out, but as luck or fate or whatever you want to call it would have it, all of the people I know who were supposed to be in those towers, weren't. 

We chose to continue to live in our neighborhood for 5 years after Sept 11, that was a good decision.  After we were able to move back home we were first hand observers of the activity that was happening at the site.  The things I remember most about the days, weeks, months and even years that followed are the workers, the volunteers, the smells, the sights, the sounds of rebuilding at all hours of the day and night, the tourists, the businesses reopening, the neighborhood coming back to life...of the feeling of solidarity that this city and our country would bounce back. It never even occurred  to us to leave. NEVER. We were moving on.

But as our family grew, so did our need for space and as luck (again) would have it, we moved to a new neighborhood with a beautiful view of lower Manhattan.  It's now 3,650 days later, and as I write this from my couch, the sun is coming up, and I am looking at one of the new structures that is rising from the ashes so to speak....Tower One is lit up and is getting taller by the day, and from the greatest city in the world it is a reminder for me of strength, resolve, and commitment.  I will celebrate that today while I remember those we have lost, the stories we have shared, and the images we have seen from Sept 11, 2001.  I wish you all a day filled with love, peace and celebration of your lives as we have all moved on in our own way always being cognizant of the past and hopeful for the future.  

10 years have passed and not a day goes by that I don't remember...NOT ONE DAY.

Where Does The Time Go?

I have a feeling this will be the title of a lot of my posts...it's relevant to so many things, in this case...back to school.  Today is the first day of school in New York City, and I officially have a First Grader!  It's funny how everyone tells you how time flies.  Hoq before you know it they're in school, going to college, moving out.  What no one prepares you for is the shock to your system as the milestone day hits.  I was just watching my boy, who is currently sleeping soundly, and marveling at the thought that he is old enough to be in first grade.  When did that happen?  When did he learn how to talk? walk? voice his opinion? Those days seem like yesterday, not years ago! 

I want him to love school.  To learn and to grow and to be smart. I want him to have friends that he will keep for a lifetime.  I want him to experience the joy that comes with exploring the world beyond our city, (which in itself is one big exploration project).  I want him to have what every parent I know wants for their children...to be safe, to be healthy and to have everything they dream of. 

Having an almost 6 year old boy can certainly try your patience.  Mine is inquisitive, challenging, bright, adorable, stubborn (boy, is he stubborn!), independent ("you can just leave me here and come back and get me Mom, it's ok"), loyal and an excellent button pusher!  For all the qualities that can drive me crazy, he is one of the sweetest, loving, caring boys I know.  He melts my heart on a daily basis and I am hard pressed to put into words how very proud I am of him.  And I'm so thankful he chose me to be his Mom. 

Happy 1st Day of 1st Grade!!