It's Never Too Late

This month marks the 9 year anniversary of my mother’s death. She passed on May 4, 2002 shortly after her 50th wedding anniversary. May 26th is Yahrzeit. Yahrzeit (Yiddish for "a year's time") is the anniversary of the death of a loved one. Every year it is Jewish custom to light a special candle that burns for 24 hours, called a Yahrzeit candle. The candle is lit on the Yahrzeit date of that person's death. It is the date according to the Jewish calendar.
This has had me thinking of my Mother. How much I miss her and all the things I never said to her. I wonder if she knew how much I really loved her. This, in turn, has had me thinking of all the other people in my life who I have failed to tell how much they mean to me.

I know I am not alone in this. Almost everybody has a least one person in their life they are afraid to open up to. Why is that? I think a big part is not only being able to put our feelings into words, but also our fear of rejection. Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you had not, or saying nothing, and wishing you had? One
of the most difficult things is having words in your heart that you can't express. You have to be able to let go of your fears and let them know what is in your heart. This can not only be difficult but scary as well.

Holding things in isn't healthy for you and it isn't very fair to the other person either. We need to bite the bullet, tell ourselves that it is going to be okay and then open up and let it all out. You cannot always wait for the perfect time. That time may never come.
As we have all heard over and over again, honesty is the best policy. Don't try to talk around how you really feel. Be completely honest and let the other person know exactly how you feel. Honesty breeds honesty. If you want someone to be honest, you must be completely honest with them. Never apologize for what you feel. It’s like saying you are sorry for being real.

You never know when the people you care about are no longer going to be a part of your life. Nobody wants to look back with the regret that when they loved someone, they did not tell them. If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world. The two deepest regrets you will have in your life are risks not taken and words left unsaid. So don’t be afraid to close your eyes and jump right in. You may just find that the water is warm and welcoming.