The voice said. "Hi mom, go and turn on the television." It was my son Christopher. I knew immediately, from the sound of his voice that something was terribly wrong. He was calling from an airplane that was grounded in Chicago. Chris and his wife of four days were supposed to be leaving for their honeymoon, and now they were attempting to get details of the tragedy as it was unfolding.

As a wife and mother my thoughts go out to the families that were and will continue to be affected by this horrific event. How many of those victims knew that when they kissed their spouse or child that morning before leaving for work that that would be the last time they’d see each other alive, or in good health. We must never take those we love for granted. They are a gift!

As we have learned, we are all vulnerable. We cannot anticipate the future and we can only do the best we can to plan for it. We need to have foresight and we must take action. The only way to deal with fear is to stand still and face it; we can never run fast enough to get away from our fears.

The impact of these events is sure to affect this country’s very roots. Money that might have been spent for social programs for seniors and the disabled will more than likely be diverted to shoring up the economy, providing jobs, for the military, and national defense.

We have already seen what is happening with Medicare and Medicaid as these programs have shrunk. Just this past week we have learned of further cuts in Medicare and more stringent Medicaid qualifications. We have all been hoping for legislation that will provide some type of relief from the high cost of prescription drugs.

The terrible events of September 11 have, unfortunately, radically reduced the probability of Long Term Care insurance premiums and services becoming tax deductible this year. America’s priorities and financial resources have now turned to a more immediate and lethal crisis.

The stock market has at least temporarily plummeted! Americans are now more than ever called to provide for themselves and not to continue to hope that Uncle Sam will be there to take care of us in our old age. Just as the risks that were incurred through loss of life and property were insured on our "Tragic Tuesday", we can in fact insure against the ravages of aging.

The message in this article is a plea more than anything else. During this time of national tragedy I have seen lives affected by serious illness, neighbors whose adult children held an estate sale this weekend because mom had to be placed in a nursing home and dad placed in an assisted living facility due to Alzheimer’s. Some other neighbors are being forced to sell their condo and move out of state to be near family because one of the spouses has had a serious change in health and needs care.

We cannot continue to live in denial. Bad things happen to good people, young and old. The heart knows things the mind does not want to think about. We all must do our homework and research and plan for the possibility of needing health care for an extended period of time. Our health insurance will not pay for it, Medicare will not pay for it, Medicaid will not pay for it until we are impoverished and the Federal government CANNOT pay for it.

There are not enough tears to properly mourn those lost in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington. We can keep them in our thoughts and prayers and move forward keeping in mind that EVERYTHING COMES WITH A PRICE, whether its FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE or PEACE OF MIND.

Appreciate those you love and tell them often that you do.