Stop Reading This Message

If life teaches us one lesson, it is this.  Never leave business with another person unfinished, because you never know when that person will be gone, leaving you with regret over the unsaid and the unfinished.

Yesterday, my 92-year-old mother-in-law Ruby was returning from one of her favorite outings, a trip to the casino.  Getting off the mini-bus, the woman in front of her stumbled and Ruby tried to help her.  In the process, she fell herself and struck her head on the pavement.

At the hospital, we were told that the extensive bleeding in her brain was inoperable.  She never regained consciousness and died a few hours later.

Ruby lived a long and momentous life.  She leaves two adult children and three grandchildren who all love her.  Her death leaves a hole and an admirable collection of memories in many lives.

As this coming weekend approaches, we acknowledge various observances honoring the dead, from All Soul's Day, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain, and El Día de los Muertos.  These holidays afford us the opportunity to remember our loved ones now gone and to honor their memory in our lives.  These holidays also remind us not to procrastinate.

With medical advances lengthening our lifespans every day, we take for granted that friends and family will be alive for many decades.  But, the universe can be a cruel classroom.  So, if there is someone in your life with which you have had a disagreement, or with whom you have unresolved conflict or issues, then stop reading this message right now.  Pick up the phone, or better yet, walk, drive, or fly to that person and talk with them.  Tell them what they mean to you and try to work out whatever differences are keeping you from being an active part of each other's lives.

Do it now, because the winter is approaching for us all, and tomorrow may be too late.