9/11

This is the day, more than any other day, that I can hear the painful wisdom behind my grandmother's favorite saying:

"Never regret growing old. It is a privilege denied to many."

Last night I had to meet a 9/11 family we are writing a story about.

I sat for about three hours with the mother, sister and aunt of an FDNY firefighter who was part of Engine 33 and who died when the North Tower came down.

These stories don't get easier to write as the years go by, they get harder. The losses are deeper. People cope, but there are things they can't forget.

It's too sad to talk about really. People die unfair deaths all over the world every day. It's important to know that, but it doesn't make it any easy to bear.