"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent."
There comes a point in your life when you realize that how you treat your loved ones is the only thing that matters in the end. The type of job you have, the kind of car you drive, the material things you owned, all mean very little. Love isn't flashy or boastful. Families have differences, but remembering that you are tied together by some unbreakable bond, that family is there when the world shuns you, should be a wake up call to all of us. I am not saying that I am not guilty of participating in petty gossip or cursing because someone did something I didn't like, but I am saying I appreciate each and every day that I am given the opportunity to live another day and to have the chance to experience all life has to offer.
"Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder."
We have all lost loved ones in our lives. When that happens, there is always the "I should have done this or said that, or I should never have done that or said that". It's a normal feeling and it happens to all of us. The part that we should be learning from this situation is that for those few days, weeks, months that we pride ourselves on not being hurtful to each other or spending as much time as we can with each other, should not be only a limited time period. It isn't until something tragic happens again that we realize "oh my, I did it again".
The purpose of this rant? I have seen too much family fighting, gossiping, back stabbing, or neglect happening because of little issues that are petty and unnecessary. Someone may have said something hurtful to you...ok...so talk about it with THEM. Don't air your dirty laundry on social media or by secluding yourself from important togetherness times. What are you trying to prove? What is it going to solve? What would you say/feel if that person were to pass on today or tomorrow? It's such a great gift we are given each and every day and we are so lucky to meet the people we do in our lives that we have to stop taking things for granted and enjoy all the little things that happen. A Sunday dinner, a date, a weekend at the lake with friends, a 30 minute t.v show just to compete with your parents, the miracle of friends/family including you in their lives and the respect and love to include them in yours. Family/friends don't judge each other, but rather embrace each other for their differences and love them through thick and thin.
"If you don't think every day is a great day try going without one."
This is not coming out of thin air. Recent events have been racking my brain about how people can be so mean to each other whether it is to their face or behind their back. Recently some friends of mine have lost loved ones. It is a terrible feeling and we all know what it feels like. We need to be kind to each other, to love each other, to make every effort possible to spend a few hours, a phone call, to say a simple "I Love You" or "I Miss You". We never know how much longer we will have or our loved ones will have in this life so it is time for the selfishness and pettiness to end and for the love, understanding, and appreciating to begin.
Stepping down from my soap box now.
I love you all more than you will know.
"Before someone's tomorrow has been taken away, cherish those you love, appreciate them today."
