This too shall pass

Death is inevitable. In the past six months both my stepfather and sister-in-law passed unexpectedly. If only we had had a year, a month, or even a day more together. In the fifty years I had known each of them, not one cross word passed between us. Our relationships were filled with love and caring. There aren’t too many people with whom we have that type of relationship. I can still hear their voices as if they were standing next to me. I felt truly blessed with the time we had together. At my age I know that others I care about will also be departing. The thought of that causes me to stop and evaluate my relationships and how I treat them for they are not forever. We never know when or last conversation with a friend or relative will take place. If you approached each of those conversations as if they were the last you would ever have, what would you say? Would you use it as an opportunity to argue over some unresolved issue, to gossip about someone you both know, or to let them know how important they are to you? If you learned that the person you were speaking to had died that day, how would you feel about the last conversation you had with them? Today is your opportunity to consider how you treat others knowing that they will not be here forever. How will this affect the next conversation you have with a friend or relative?