Hey Friend,
A week and a half or so, ago, I woke up one morning and opened Facebook. I was shocked to see that my wife's cousin, younger than me, had apparently had a stroke and died.
I've seen this person, at least once a year, for my entire married life at week long family reunions.
I'd watched him raise a family. I'd watched him get into running and shed a ton of weight and get fit and healthy.
I saw him get married, go on a honeymoon cruise and shine joy and happiness to the world via the photos he shared on social media.
Now, suddenly, out of no where, he was gone.
At the viewing, my wife got a chance to talk to his ex-wife.
They had separated but were working on getting back together. She told my wife, that her cousin had some things he needed to work on and that he was making huge progress.
Her biggest regret?
"He told me he loved me, over and over, but I didn't tell him back. The truth is, I did love him."
Throughout this whole experience I was very present to 2 big realizations.
Tomorrow is never promised, to any of us.
If you love someone, never miss a chance to tell them and show them.
This whole experience has helped me to pay more attention to the moments and experiences and people that are with me each day.
It's all a gift, every single particle of existence that surrounds us.
Problem is, we often forget to treasure it all for the gift that it is.
I read a quote sometime that said "The way to realize you love something, is to have it taken away."
That's a sad, but fairly true commentary on most of us humans.
But sometimes, when we hear stories or see things being taken away, we can use those as reminders to help us realize the love that's in front of us, before it's taken away.
Anyway, been wanting to send you this little note for a while now.
Hope it helps to focus your mind a bit more on all the good in your life, now. That's what it's done for me.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have an amazing weekend.
All the best,
Paul