Tell the Ones You Love How Much You Care

Don't wait to tell the ones you love how much you appreciate them. You never know what li fe will bring you.

Last month was a month tough for me. My grandmother had been bravely fighting bone cancer for over three years but unfortunately she passed away two weeks. Many of her children and grandchildren traveled from all over to the world to be by her side in her final moments.

My sister comforting my grandmother.

Sitting by her bedside I realized that how important it is to show your loved ones how much you appreciate them. 

Life is so hectic sometimes we forget even the little things like saying please or thank you let alone bigger gestures such as gifts, hand-written cards or a party thrown in someone's honor. It seems like a hassle to do some of these kinds of things when there are so many deadlines looming, chores staking up and the To-Do list is getting longer. But those are things I wish I had done as I sat at Mama's bedside.

When I was young, she move from Grenada to care for me and brother while my parents worked. Mama brought lots of yummy treats from her like brightly-colored coconut candy, guava cheese, sugar-coated tamarine balls and conkies wrapped in banana leaves. We greedily ate it all without a thought of how much time and money it took for her to get those things. 

Mama was not well off by any standard but she was very resourceful.

While she stayed with us, she made lots of delicious breads, talked and sang to us. She made me feel heard and understood. She was strict, but we loved to be around her. We were sad when she went to live in Boston with our cousins.

Still she sent us birthday cards and Christmas gifts. We visited her and she visited us. Still I wish I had done more, said more. She was a funny, loving woman, and I miss her. 

Fortunately I did get to tell her how I felt sitting at her bedside. 

When was the last time you told the ones you lovr how much you appreciate them?