This year, the date of 9/11 will be commemorated nationwide – and worldwide — as the 10th anniversary of a terrible event in our country’s history. There will be gatherings, readings, moments of silence, dedications, music and printed material that will take each of us back to that time 10 years ago, when so many people lost their lives, so many families were devastated, and so many things about the way we live in the U.S. changed forever. Whether or not you knew someone who lost their life in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, I’m sure you can look back & reflect on where you were and how your life has changed since those tragic events.

Although I did not lose a loved one in the 9/11 attacks, I remember that time as a time of complete upheaval in our lives. My husband, who travelled constantly for his business then, worked diligently to get from “gig” to “gig” and then home without the convenience of airline travel. The September 2001 launch of my (now defunct) accessory line was a disaster – one that I can now blame at least in part on the Event. At the same time, I was still reeling from a devastating miscarriage — one more loss in a string of losses on our road to becoming parents. Loss was a major theme in my life at that time.

Since then, my wonderful husband’s business still takes him travelling around the world (although, thankfully, a bit less). My failed accessory business became just one more notch on my belt and one more lesson learned. Now working with my Consider It Organized clients, I find happiness & fulfillment every day. Whether helping a busy family organize, assisting an older adult in downsizing a lifetime of possessions, helping a family move their beloved parent into a senior community, or working to liquidate and disburse the belongings of an estate for a family who is reeling from their own loss, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’m incredibly blessed to be able to do this work!

And probably the biggest difference in my life was that 18 months after September 11th, 2001, I gave birth to our daughter, who is now an 8-year-old ball of energy. Boy, have our lives changed! Our daughter brings constant activity, intermittent chaos, and never-ending joy to us, but she also brings a heightened interest in the security of our home, nation & world.

This 9/11 I pray for a nation and a world where terrorist attacks still threaten – and not as far away as before. I pray for those men & women who endeavor to keep us safe today and for their families who give up so much so that their family member can serve our country. And I pray for those who lost so much in the 9/11 attacks ten years ago. I only hope that, while they mourn their losses, they too are able to remember some never-ending joy & fulfillment entering their lives in these last 10 years.

Robin Blinder is the owner of Consider It Organized, where she finds fulfillment every day helping families and their older adult members organize, downsize, move to new homes, and liquidate and disburse estates filled with much-loved possessions.  Find out more at http://www.consideritorganized.com.