I’m writing this post because we all take life and each other for granted far too much of the time. Someone close to me had a brain aneurism this past week and came close to death. In fact, she is lucky because people often die from that kind of trauma.

A friend—or perhaps more like a well-known acquaintance died last summer while driving his motorcycle. The accident might not have killed him; doctors later learned that he’d had a brain aneurism that had most likely preceded the crash. These brain traumas often end in tragedy. He was in his early forties and left behind a beautiful wife and two small children. All who knew and cared about him were stunned and shocked: no one expects a relatively young person to die suddenly, even though it happens all the time.

The person from this week is very close to me. I’ve known her all my life. Moreover, the last thing I expected was to hear that she had this aneurism and that she will be in recovery for a good amount of time. I panicked when it happened because I knew there were things I had wanted to say to her—I wanted to tell her I loved her—and I (selfishly) feared I wouldn’t have that chance.

My worldview continues to evolve as I grow older and experience more of life, but having lost so many people in my own life, I keep learning this same lesson repeatedly. Never wait to tell those important you love how you feel, that you care about them, that their lives have touched yours.
Because you might not otherwise have that chance.

Right now, I am so grateful that this trauma wasn’t a tragedy. I am glad that there will still be time to say those things I wanted to—and in fact, I have said some of them already but I will continue to do that.

The next time you are with any person you love, look at them for just a moment and think about what it would be like if you never saw that person again. What would you say to her/him? Since you’re there and that person is there, why not say it then because there are no guarantees in this life.

Stay strong, be grateful for life’s gifts, and try to recognize the beauty in life even when things seem hopeless (because they never are). And remember that to cherish people as the extraordinary gifts they are. Let those people know how important they are to you and your life.

Peace,

Melinda