Speak from the Heart - Author Ed Gerety

Unfortunately, for many of us, the only time that we realize how often we forget to be grateful for all that we have in our lives is when we lose someone close to us or when a tragedy happens. Shortly after I graduated from high school I lost my grandmother, grandfather, and a good friend. When we lose someone close to us we often have regrets about what we wish we could have said or done. Saying to ourselves, "I wish I would have called that person more often, wrote them more letters, or been more kind and patient." We wish that we would have told that person those three words that are sometimes the hardest to say but are the most important words of all, "I love you."

I know that as we get older it seems kind of funny to say that, but do you remember when we were little kids? Everywhere we went we would share with people exactly how we felt. We had no problem saying, "I love you!" We were honest and open with our feelings. 

As we get older - I'm not sure at what age or at what grade it happens - those words of "I love you," or "I care about you," and "you are special to me" are said less and less. Until one day we just say to ourselves, "Oh, that person knows that I love them and appreciate them," or "I see them every day so I don't need to say how I feel, they already know." We often don't realize how important it is to express our feelings until it's too late. 

Jennifer was a senior in high school when she experienced this first hand. Her best friend was killed in a car accident. One month later, her mother died of cancer. Jennifer shared with me how much she missed her mom and her friend and how she thought of them everyday. I asked her what she would tell other students her age about what she had learned from this challenging time in her life. She answered, "I realize how precious life is and at any moment it can be gone. It is so important to make the most out of each day and to let people know how much you care about them and love them."  

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