Tomorrow May Be Too Late

This post is going to veer just a little bit from the topics of what I have been posting lately.  I fear this post is going to be a little bit more solemn to begin with, but will hopefully be back to happy by the end. The reason for the solemness is earlier this evening, I received a text from one of my best friends from college. I haven't heard from him or seen him for oh.... a few years. He's been busy with being a husband and father and finishing school and such. Besides that fact, it hasn't changed our friendship in the least. We're still the best of friends. Anywho, back to the point. He text me stating that he and his wife lost their baby a little earlier this week. Sad to say it was a stillborn. They don't know the cause or why it happened. They had a check up on Monday and by Tuesday something didn't feel right and couldn't find a heartbeat, so the doctors induced her and went from there. I can't even begin to imagine that pain and devastation they are going through having just lost a child. I've known many people who have had such things happen to them and have seen how devastating a blow it is to them. I have a cousin that had this happen to and seeing that pain and anguish she went through was hard. It's been quite a few years ago that it's happened, but you can still see that pain that it causes her.

My reasoning for writing this is because hearing this sad news brought a few thoughts to my mind--- How often do we tell those we love and care about, exactly how much we love and care about them?  How do we know if they are going to be with us the next day, week, month or year?  Are there people that we care about but have had disputes with that we haven't talked with in a while because of said dispute?  If they were to die tomorrow-- would we regret not telling them how we really feel? Would they leave this earth thinking that we hated them? Even with those we still talk to on a daily basis-- do we let them know how we feel? Or are we under the impression that we think, "well, they already know that I love and care about them, so I don't need to tell them." Wouldn't we feel better if we constantly made sure that we know that they know that we know they know, how we feel about them? I found a wonderful quote from none other than the coolest transformer ever: Optimus Prime.

This quote may have come from a fictional movie by a fictional character, but it has so much truth to it. We are so hesitant to tell people how we feel while they are here, alive. It's not until they are gone that we all of a sudden get this urge to finally let them know how we feel when we know that technically, it's too late. 

I've had a little while to think this over and to think about people that I need to tell such things to more often. One of my first thoughts is about my last living grandmother. I don't see or talk to her a whole lot.  My mother just informed me lately that my grandmother's health isn't what it used to be and that she is slowly declining. Now that's not implying that we are going to lose her real soon, (hopefully) but the older she does get, the more we are unsure of exactly how much time we do have left with her. It makes me sit back and think and wonder if I do tell her enough how much I love and appreciate her and how much of an example she has been to me throughout my life. It makes me realize that I really should make a better effort to go and see her and my grandpa and let them know how much I really do care for and love and appreciate them. 

Thinking about my grandma then lead me to think further about my more immediate family and my friends and other cherihsed ones. Now, as most all my friends and family know, that I'm not the best person at expressing myself verbally. I've always had difficulty with such things.  I'm more a person who expresses my feelings through actions and the written word. When I try to express things verbally, I find myself feeling extremely awkward and out of place. I get weird urges to make jokes about it and almost purposely make the situation awkward because of how awkward I feel--- so, a lot of the times people don't tend to take me seriously when I try to express my love for them. The other pit fall I have is I tend to get emotional and have a tendency to cry-- and there is not much more I hate than people seeing me cry. 

Back from the tangent.  I realized that I need, and want to make sure I tell those I love, care, and appreciate-- just how much I actually do love, care and appreciate them. It also made me think about those that I still care about deeply that have for one reason or another, lost touch with or don't talk to as often as I'd like because of the aforementioned 'dispute' reason.  I write this in hopes that those of you who read this, as well as myself, can swallow the pride that we may have and make sure to tell the people we love and care, but have had a falling out or some sorts,  about how much we do love and care for them--- regardless of whether we are still upset with them about something, or feel guilty for something we did-- regardless- I hope that we can swallow our pride and realize that us being upset, or whatever the situation-  is really only hurting us. Holding on to a grudge or anger is only hurting and damaging us. That anger only builds up inside of us and eats at us until it does nothing but make us miserable. I know you may think "oh man, they did such and such to me or said such and such to me, I can never forgive them, or it's going to take me a long time to forgive them because of such and such." All I can say to this is: STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! You care about this or these people-- it's time, as Elsa from "Frozen" would say-- LET IT GO.

Now, I  know for a fact that swallowing your pride and forgiving people is not by any means an easy task. Believe me-- been there, done that (too many times). But, what I can tell you-- is once you do-- the feeling of freedom and happiness you feel is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Having those feelings of hate and resentment lifted off your shoulders is a feeling like none other. (As cheesy as this sounds--)  it quite literally seems like life is that much brighter and happier-- the sun is brighter, things just happen to go your way-- life seems just plain wonderful.  Now-- who doesn't want to feel that way raise your hand!! That's what I thought. No one (in their right mind at least) wants to pass up an opportunity to be truly happy. I beg you, please, PLEASE!  Mend those broken lines of communication. Tell the people you love and care about how you feel before it's too late. We don't want to have any "RAGRETS" now do we?! Now, I'm NOT saying you have to go profess your undying love for everyone you know-- just let them all know that you care for them-- that you appreciate them- that you love them-- but in a non romantic, non creepy sort of way. Or-- maybe you do ~~~LOVE~~~~ them. However you feel-- let them know in the most non-creeper sort of way. (Cause I don't care who you are--- no one responds very well to creepers.) 

We never know when those we care about and love are going to be stripped from us. God has a plan for all of us. For some of us-- he may have the plan of letting us live a long life. For others-- it may seemingly be cut short because he needs us elsewhere. We don't know what our time frame is going to be. Don't take the chance in thinking "Oh, well-- they'll be here tomorrow, or next week or month-- I'll just tell them then." Don't leave such important things to chance. Take every opportunity you have to let people know how you feel and how much you love and care about them-- because tomorrow may be too late. 

To all my friends, family and other loved ones:

And as a last reminder:

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST--