The death of a close friend or family member is hard. It tears you up and rocks your world. Lately, we have lost a few people in our lives and it really brings to light every moment spent with them, each conversation, and every smile. It’s so important to cherish the time you have left.
Cherish EVERY moment you have with those close to you. You just don’t know when it will be the last.
We have had several people pass away quickly in the last few months. It has been rough, raw, and heartbreaking.
Here are a few thoughts from my heart on making the most of the time you have.
1.) Do the math. If your parents are 60 and you see them for 3 days two times a year. Say they pass at 80 that’s 120 days left. Less than a year’s worth of time. Make each visit count.
2.) Cherish the moments. Take the photograph. Be in the photos. After the passing of my friend and my son’s friend, I scoured my photos for photos of them. Even the candid and unfocused photos meant something. For my son, it was a chance to remember and focus on all the good times they had. Almost a year later he is now able to share those moments without tearing up.
3.) Write the letter, send the card, and send the text. How often do you think of someone and go ” I should text and see how they’re doing,” or ” I should send them a card I miss them.” Do it. Don’t be like me and have a letter that now sits in my email draft box that was written a few hours prior to the recipient’s passing. The time is now.
4.) Make or take the call. My mother-in-law calls my husband every Sunday around the time we put the kids to bed. Like clockwork. Sometimes my husband answers others, it depends on what he’s in the middle of. But he makes sure he chats with her once a week. Sometimes it is only 5 minutes and others are an hour or so depending on what we’ve been up to. For me, it’s making sure I talk to each of my siblings once a month. I make sure my kids see me talking to them and building relationships with them.
5.) Let your kids see you mourn over those who pass. Help them understand why the person means a lot to you. Recently I lost an amazing young lady I had mentored in High school and college. I watched her go from a sweet shy little preteen to a community builder, inspiring faith builder, mother, and friend. My kids would hear me talk about her original triumph over cancer, her inspiring messages, her family, and her upcoming marriage to another friend. They cheered with me for her each round our chemo finished and understood when her fight was finally over and mommy was sad.
I hope you are able to take a few moments and reflect on the relationships you have and what you are doing to make the most of them with the time you have. I hope this helps you see ways you can be an example to your children from a young age by cherishing the time they have as well.
Have any thoughts you want to share? How do you like to take the time to cherish those in your life?
