Since You Can Never Tell, Always Tell

None of us knows what will happen tomorrow.

One Monday morning my brother David didn’t show up for work. He was only sixty years old, and yet the unthinkable had happened. We have missed him for more than twelve years now.

Yesterday we received a call that Danny, our beloved cousin, had been admitted to City of Hope with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  His daughter was flying in from England, and his son driving down to Los Angeles from Fresno.

Bad stuff happens.  We all know that.  But too often we forget that every one of us can create good stuff.  A lot of good stuff.  Every day.

What’s the good stuff?  Four days before he failed to arrive for work, my brother wrote a three-page birthday letter to his adult son Kevin.  In his letter David told Kevin how proud he was of him, and how important Kevin was in his life.  Kevin read the letter to us at David’s memorial service. It was the most meaningful and lasting gift his father could have given to him.

Are you “up to date” with everyone you care about in your life?  Are there any “I love you’s” left unsaid that you still intend to deliver to your mother, your father, or anyone else who is special to you?  Will you tell them the next time you see them?  Why not call or text them right now?

And you have the power to do so much more. Why wait to convey “thank you,” “I appreciate you,” “you’re my hero,” or any other positive message you feel in your heart to anyone and everyone you meet?

Although we can never tell about tomorrow, or even ten minutes from now, I like to bring light and joy into the lives of those I care about every time I see them.

You can make a difference in someone else’s life.  Right now.

Alan