Love like there is no tomorrow

Today we went to the mall-to exchange something at T-mobile. About 3 mins after we got into the T-mobile store, we heard a LOUD "bang!"-then we heard a voice from inside the mall scream "Everybody get out of the mall!". Then there was total chaos! People were screaming, running for the door...the manager of T-mobile was pushing customers into the back employee room, there were people lying on the ground outside, as not to catch a stray bullet! It was a scene straight out of the news-an experience that I will never forget. We ran outside and hid behind the building..then we heard a second "bang"- it was then that we decided to run for our car. The kids were screaming and crying! I was shaking uncontrollably. It was a fear like I have never felt before. We left the mall-the kids just wanted to "go home" and they did not want to even go see the movie that we planned on seeing. Later on-I called the mall to see if it was safe to return, they said that everything was ok, so I went back (alone-I doubt I will ever be able to get the kids to go back to that mall). When I got back to the mall, there were still about 15 police cars there and an ambulance was pulling in. Inside (just outside the t-mobile store) there a bunch of police officers and medical workers talking to a bleeding man. I went to customer service and asked what had happened earlier and they told me that there was a man with a gun-but the "bang" (x2) that we heard was balloons popping. So, I asked why there was a bleeding man and they said that 3 guys with brass knuckles jumped him and beat him up. I am not sure that I believe that the "bang" really was a balloon-it was very loud and it echoed-it was the kind of noise that you can "feel" but none the less, I am grateful that we are all alive and that we stayed together through the incident. I guess it just makes you realize that things like that really do happen, and people do not know what they are walking into-we walked into the mall just like we had every other time, clueless as to what was about to happen. This world is a crazy place and we need to live everyday as though it could be our very last. Love like it may be the last time we can.