Afterlife...

I firmly believe in an afterlife. But you have to be careful. Expectations that you will be able to see people again after death can lead to the perpetuation of unresolved issues and leaving many things unsaid. The belief is that you will eventually see your family, friends and loved ones again so there will always be time to say the things you wanted or needed to say. You shouldn't count on it. I was recently reminded of the fragility of life by a good friend who had a friend of hers just lose her father unexpectedly and prematurely. My friend expressed her love for people important in her life based upon what happened to her friend.

I had a high school classmate attend the same college I did. She was always nice to me and we hung out together on occasion. One night, she was driving home to Makakilo and her car mysteriously flipped over and in an instant she was gone. I never had a chance to express what her friendship meant to me. Like many of my friends who have died. And family as well.

So I tend to let people know how I feel. Because we may never pass this way again. I don't want to leave things unsaid. We tend to throw the biggest celebrations of someone's life at their funeral when we talk about how wonderful they were, how much they meant to us and how much we loved them. Or worse yet. We talk to them at their grave trying desperately to bring life back to an array of dead flowers with our cascading tears. You truly can't beat telling someone while they are alive. It tends to mean so much.

So my goal is to let people know how much they mean to me and how much I truly love them. While we are alive. While we are on this journey together. Eye to eye. Heart to heart. Soul to soul. And getting through my list may take me the rest of my life. So I will start right now. I love you. I truly. Love. You...