Let Sept. 11 be a reminder to be thankful

It is hard to believe that it has been one year since such a

tragic nightmare occurred in our world. I never thought that I would

live to witness such a powerful life altering event, and get asked

the question of “Where were you on Sept. 11?” just like my parent’s

generation of “Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?”

I am still in complete shock and the thought that this tragedy has

occurred is not real. The people that lost their loved ones and those

who were in the buildings and planes when they went down have more

courage and strength than I could ever have.

Many times after Sept. 11, I would sit and think over and over in

my head how I would react if I were in that building left to know I

was going to die -- What would I say to my loved ones, what if I

couldn’t reach them to tell them how much they meant to me, what

would my regrets be?

That is why I feel we all need to think a little extra hard each

day about truly being thankful for what we have and not take anything

or anyone for granted. We should make sure to try and avoid those

unnecessary arguments and fussing over the small stuff. We should all

make sure that everything we have ever wanted to say is told to those

we love. Make a rule for yourself that you will never leave on bad

terms with anyone, because you don’t know when the next time you will

see him or her is going to be.

Let Sept. 11 be a lesson to each and everyone of us that life can

end in a split second and you should be able to know you had to no

regrets. Let us take this day to remember all the lessons we have

learned from all the many Americans that risked their lives and thank

them for giving us role models to look up to and teach us about how

truly wonderful life really is.

* LAUREN LOEB is a Corona del Mar High School senior whose

columns will appear occasionally in the Community Forum section.