Family

Earlier this week, my boss's mother passed away. My heart aches for her loss, as I cannot even begin to fathom what that pain feels like. Her father passed away several years ago, so now she and her brother are all that is left of their original family unit.  As I thought about this, it shined a bright and rather sober light on the issue of family relationships. When we are born, if we are fortunate, we are born into a family. Maybe it is a mom and a dad, maybe just one or the other and maybe you get amazingly blessed with siblings down the road. I happen to be the oldest of 4. I have 2 sisters and a brother. I have a mom and dad who have been married for 41 years. I love it. I love each one of them so much.

But back to that sober light. You know, one day, each one of us will die. It is just how it is ; it is life. Our days are numbered. Our life is but  a breath. We have all heard these sayings. But do we take these words seriously? Or have they become cliche'? I do not want to regret how I have spent my days. I do not want to look back with sorrow on how I treated my family, the ones I love and value. I do not want to waste my moments with them in arguments or ridiculous drama. I just don't!

When someone dies, it is too late to say I am sorry. It is too late to do anything to reconcile the rifts that were caused by cruel, thoughtless words. It is too late to enjoy being with your loved one, their laugh, the funny way they say certain words, the facial expressions that seem to be unique to them. It is too late.

We should value those we love and treat them with kindness. We should forgive quickly. We should never talk ugly about them behind their backs. We should always give them the benefit of the doubt. We should pursue the truth about them and look for the best inside of them, so that we can draw it out.

I value my family. I want to live my life in such a way that I do not have regrets about my relationships with them. I want to love them well.