Before Its Too Late

This weekend I attended a funeral for one of my Dad’s closest friends. He was like an Uncle to me and I really admired him. His eulogy was read by one of his cousins. Now all eulogies are very touching and emotional, but this one really got to me. I don’t know if it was the stories that his cousin decided to share, or the perfectly chosen adjectives to describe his laugh, or the list of his accomplishments, or perhaps it was looking around the room and seeing all the people that loved him. I don’t know what it was but it really got me thinking. After the service we had a luncheon and we had a toast to his life. A few family members, friends, and coworkers said a few words about his life and how his affected their lives.

After all was said and done I began thinking about what people would say at my funeral. I don’t mean to be morbid, but my thoughts quickly changed to what would I say at my best friend’s funeral. Now at funerals/wakes/memorials everyone shares their own stories on how wonderful that person was. Why do we wait until they are dead to talk about how much we are affected by the people we love? It seems to me that in our society it is taboo to really let someone know how important he or she is to you. Perhaps it’s just me, but I find that it would be incredibly awkward to sit someone down and tell them something that personal. I suppose it would be easier to do this with a close family member or a significant other, but to do so for a roommate, ex-girlfriend, or your father’s friend, it is a bit harder. Which is a shame, because everyone should know just how important he or she is to others.

Even though it is slightly awkward to do I plan to let my friends and family know how important they are to me and I hope you also plan to do so. Don’t wait until it’s too late to tell someone they mean a lot to you.