Somewhere there is a parent mourning the loss of their child whom just died from an accidental drug overdose. They think back to the last time they talked or the last time they saw them. They wonder why they didn’t see the signs. They have an urge to go back in time and change something, anything. They blame themselves. They wish they could have said so much. They tell themselves they failed as a parent. They wonder maybe if they had sent their child to a different school or raised them differently then maybe this never would’ve happened.
Somewhere there is a daughter walking out of her chemistry class crying because she found out her father was killed in a car accident. She thinks about all of the awful things she said to him. She wants to take it all back. She yells at the sky asking for forgiveness, for one more chance. Memories rush to her brain. Every word, every tear, every laugh; it all comes rolling in like a freight train. She wishes she could have been a better daughter.
Somewhere there is a girlfriend sitting on the hospital floor as a doctor tells her that her boyfriend isn’t going to make it. She thinks about all of their plans. They wanted a red house with dark wood floors. He wanted three kids but she only wanted two, and now she realizes how stupid it was to have fights over that. She thinks about every time they argued. She wishes she could take back every bad memory. She wishes she could have given him more. She wonders if he was happy. She cannot sleep because the last time she did it was with his arms around her. She cannot eat because the last meal she had was at their favorite restaurant. She wishes for one last moment.
Somewhere there is a person being told that their best friend has committed suicide. They think about every moment they spent together. They think of every word, every conversation that maybe could’ve predicted this. They hate themselves. They think they could have done better. They wonder if there was anything they could have done. They think they did everything wrong. They want nothing more but to have their best friend with them.
Somewhere there is an ex-boyfriend seeing on Facebook that his ex-girlfriend was raped and killed. He looks back at every single moment they spent together. He remembers her laugh, her eyes and her voice. He wonders if maybe they were still together then possibly she wouldn’t have been out that night. Maybe she would never have gone through that pain. He thinks of their last conversation. He wishes he had replied to her texts or tried a little harder to keep her in his life. He tried so hard to forget her, but never wanted her gone forever.
Somewhere there is a mother mourning the loss of her son that was killed in Afghanistan. She regrets ever letting him go. Maybe she should have been tougher on him and never let him enlist. She wishes she could get one last hug. She wishes she could tell him everything she never did. She wants to apologize for yelling at him over stupid things. She wishes she could have done more and been more for him.
Somewhere there is a little brother finding out that his older sister was mugged and shot. He wishes they were closer. He wishes he never teased her or picked on her. He wishes he did not fight with her so much. He wishes he took in more moments with her and maybe made her laugh a little more. He wishes he remembered more about her. He wishes he got to know more about her life and dreams. He makes an oath to himself that he will be the man his sister deserved to have.
Sadly, these are all true. There are millions of people in this world that have felt this pain. They lost someone at a time when they never thought it would ever happen. We all say it, “it could never happen to us.” But about when it does?
Think about everyone in your life, old and new. Think about your family. Think about the people you are fighting with. Maybe you just thought about your parents, brother, current or past relationship, or a friend. Whoever just came to your mind, think of this…
You take a nap after a long day of classes or work. You get up to make yourself something to eat and put away the clean dishes. You grab your phone like you always do to check Instagram or Twitter. But instead of 56 new likes on your Instagram post, you have 30 missed calls and 78 unread texts. You type in your four-digit code to unlock your phone and then you drop to the floor. You cannot believe what you just saw. That person you were just thinking of is gone. Dead.
How would you feel? Speechless, heartbroken, regretful, angry? Forgive often, say “I love you,” remember the good moments, and stop taking people for granted. Many people thought it could never happen to them, but it did. It can happen to you, too. You could wake up tomorrow and that parent, spouse, friend, boyfriend, child, ex-girlfriend, or brother could be gone for good. It takes one second. One split second and everything could change forever. And if it were to happen to you, do you want to regret how you left things with them? No matter what happens and to whom, you will always wish you had done more. So take the chance while you can to fix things. Tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us. All we have is the here and now.