In life we are never promised tomorrow. We also are never guaranteed to have our loved ones beside us when we wake up the next morning. Our lives can vanish at any moment; the minutes keep ticking until time runs out. The reality of life is that we will all eventually die, that our best friend, mother, brother, soul mate will one day be gone. It might be scary, but it is reality.

On Dec. 9, 2012, a friend of mine passed away at the age of 16. We had met at a cross-country camp that summer and spent an entire week bonding over running. We did not know each other long before she went up to heaven, but she still managed to leave a lasting impact on my life. At only 16 years of age, Kayla Elianna Campbell taught me the most valuable lesson I would ever learn: Ya tibya liblue, which is Russian for I love you.

Ya tibya liblue -- it seems so much more poetic and beautiful than “I love you.” It really captures the essence of what “I love you" really means. We are not promised tomorrow, but yet so many of us live our lives like we have eternity to fix what we have broken. Ever so often we say or do things to try and hurt those we love only to make up for wrong done to us. We hold on to grudges, we refuse to forgive, and we can’t accept when we are at fault. We focus on the wrong instead of the right, and it leaves us forgetting that we actually love the people we are hurting. Eventually time is going to run out and the people we love are going to be gone. And when they are gone, you’re going to regret every second you didn’t tell them you loved them. I do every day.

Ya tibya liblue -- it sounds so complicated, but it is actually very simple. We make love so complex that we forget what it actually looks and feels like. It is so simple to say, “I love you,” but we don’t say it. Don’t be afraid to love, don’t hold back on saying it. We need to be reminded that we are loved, that we are worth something, and others do to. Kayla taught me how important this was because time really does fly by. She left a legacy of love and expressing that love to everyone who was close to her.

Ya tibya liblue -- my favorite phrase. It is a constant reminder for me to remember to love and express that love. I took those Russian words for granted and didn’t practice what they meant. For me, time was not on my side and I didn’t say what I needed to before the clock ran out on someone I loved. Sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way so we will never make a mistake like that again. So tell those people beside you that you love them, tell that mom or dad that walked out on you. Look into the eyes of the girl or guy who broke your heart, and say, “Ya tibya liblue.” It’s not fair to be hurt by those we love, but we are not meant to live a fair life. Make a difference, mend broken relationships, and be honest with how much you love someone. One day they are going to be gone and all you will have left is their memory. You don’t want to be left questioning their love for you.

Ya tibya liblue. I love you. It’s that simple.