Moving through life is a process. We grow physically (sometimes not so good a thing) and mentally (always a good thing). Relationships are cultivated for better or worse and we simply move from birth to death.

All the while, what you are really doing is writing the story of your life. What kind of story will it be? What is in the wake of your life?

These are important things to consider everyday, but there is something more. We must be aware that things change. Sometimes permanently. One of these permanent changes is the loss of loved ones. This is what I want to address in the next several words.

I was fortunate in that during the last weeks of my father’s life I was able to spend many quality hours with him talking about things important to us. We left nothing unsaid. I take great comfort in this, even in the emptiness I sometimes feel since he passed.

Here is the point, don’t be so busy with writing your story that you forget loved ones. Since my father passed, there is nothing more I can give to him and there is nothing more he can give to me. The same will be true for you. So, embrace your loved ones while you can. Put aside the differences and make sure that they are written into your story.