"...people will never forget how you made them feel."

Memorial Day is always a time that is spent together with family reflecting on the lives of our loved ones who are no longer with us. It is a time to laugh and cry, reflect and ponder. This year was a very difficult one because my stepbrother Mike passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack at the age of 46. He left a beautiful wife Julie who was his best friend and 5 children ranging in age from 23 to 9 years old. It was so hard watching Julie try to be so brave and it brought back memories of the emotions we went through when my father died, both men so unexpectedly and both so young.

One thing that kept running through my mind for days and days following the funeral was how blessed I am to be part of such a loving family. You don't realize how important people are in your life until they are gone, I learned this lesson way to early. Many of you who are close to me always hear "I love you" when we end a conversation or a visit. I say this because those whom I love will never wonder how I feel about them, there will never be a question in your mind of how important you are to me. I do this in tribute to my Dad. I never had the chance to tell him how much I loved him or how much he meant to me. We had an argument right before he had the surgery that took his life. I was broken-hearted for months, wondering if he knew how much I loved him. I honestly can't remember what we were arguing about, was it really that important?

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." --Maya Angelou

Take a minute and think about the people in your life, ponder the feelings you have for each other and remember you may not have a chance to say "I'm sorry" or "I love you" and decide if that is something you can live with. I love you all!