A few hours ago I arrived back in New York City after spending an amazing weekend with my best friends celebrating the wedding of the beautiful and fabulously fun, Ashley and her wonderful, now husband, Peter.
I must say, it was the perfect way to spend my 24th birthday which is in fact today, September 11th. It's so interesting to me that on this day, the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, I was actually traveling in an airplane coming "home" to my life here in the city where the horrific nightmare actually began. If someone would have tapped me on the shoulder while I was sitting in my high school art class and watching the entire event unfold on our classroom TV and told me that ten years later I would be living in New York City, working a job that I love, enjoying times shared with close college friends and missing my HUSBAND...well, I would've thought they were crazy...but then again, I also wouldn't have been totally surprised - about some of it at least.
It's obviously a terrible thing that happened on September 11th, 2011, but a text message today from my Dad actually turned on a bit of a light for me...he sent me this message this morning, and it actually brought tears to my eyes (as I sat with one of my closest friends watching some of the coverage of the 9/11 memorial services and waiting for another friend to arrive to take me out for a birthday lunch). My Dad's message read:
"
Despite all the gloom and doom today there is one bright spot that came long before. It is your Birthday! Happy happy birthday Andrea. Love, Dad"
After reading the message and wiping away a few tears, I thought about all of the people who complain about turning another year older, the people who dread their next birthday, dread the thought of their age catching up to them in wrinkles showing up on their face or their hair changing to gray.
So far I have never been one of those people who dread their birthday. I like to look back on my accomplishments over the year and to look back and remember what 14, 17, and even 23 looked like. I look forward to having another year ahead of me to set out new goals, better myself, and experience life as best as I can. The events of September 11th, 2001 have simply reinforced this idea for me.
It would be selfish for me to "dread" having another year accomplished and a new, bright year ahead when so many lost their lives that day and lost the chance to celebrate anymore birthdays with their friends and family. It would be selfish to think that way when so many teenagers that day, just as I was at the time, lost their parents to those horrific events.
Today I have kept all of those who lost loved ones, whether in New York, DC, or in the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, in my thoughts and prayers.
Ten years later, from 14 to 24, I am reminded of how precious life is, and how truly wonderful it isto celebrate that gift of life day after day, and of course, especially on your birthday.
So cheers to 24, all those years before, and many, many more!
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