At this point in our lives, it's safe and unfortunate to say we've all faced the heartbreaking reality of losing someone that we care about. Whether it's a parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse, friend, or even someone you've fell out of touch with – we've all been there.
As morbid as it sounds, death is the one guaranteed thing in our lives. With that reality, we must live every day to the fullest, and part of living every day to the fullest is telling the people in your lives that you care about them whenever you get a chance.
Thankfully so far in my life, I've only lost a few people close to me, and don't know how I could possibly face losing anymore, even if it is inevitable. But I have so many friends and even other family members that have lost people close to them and the first thing I always hear is “I wish I would have been able to tell them I love them one last time," or “I wish I would have gotten to say goodbye."
No one is ever truly prepared to lose someone that they care about, but one thing you can do is make sure that the people you love, never question how you feel about them.
Take the time to send them a text, Facebook message, a snapchat, or simply pick up the phone to hear their voice; just let them know they're on your mind. You have no idea how much that can mean to someone, just to know that they're loved and cared about.
I'm the person that says “I love you," multiple times before I hang up the phone with anyone in my family, or I make sure to hug everyone and say goodbye before I leave the house. And it baffles me that other people don't do the same.
I know not everyone comes from an overly affectionate background like myself, and for some, it can be overwhelming. But there's nothing wrong with being a little vulnerable and showing a little extra love or affection.
I personally can't imagine not telling my mom that I love her every day. Even now that I'm away at school, I make sure to call my mom and just check in with her, see how she's doing, tell her I love her. I do this with my whole family literally every day, because I don't want them to ever go to sleep questioning how I feel about them because you never know if they'll wake up.
Death is a hard topic, but it's a real one, and we need to cherish people while they're here not just while they're gone. Memories and tributes to people are beautiful and great, but it's so much more important to honor people while they're here to accept it.
One of the worse things we can do in this life is hold grudges. I know people hurt you, I know people make mistakes, but in the end, grudges hurt you more than they hurt them.
I'm a firm believer in not going to sleep angry, or with something laying heavy on your heart. It's so much better to let it go, and make amends. I know it's not always as easy as letting it go overnight or in one day, but let it go as soon as you can because you never know when your last chance will be to make it right.
I know it may seem silly to randomly tell your friends or family that you love them – but it's not, and even though they may laugh it off – deep down, it means something to them.
A simple "thank you," "I appreciate you," "I miss you," "I love you," or even "I've been thinking about you can go such a long way."
Take the time to tell people you care, that extra couple minutes out of your day will be worth so much more in the long run when you can look back and say, "at least they knew I cared."
