I was looking through my personal photo album the other day, and I ran
across some pictures of my mother from last year. I was looking at her
face in these pictures…she was so happy. I had asked her to take a walk
with me, as I was trying to get her to do a little exercise. She was so
tired since she had just come in from dialysis, but whenever I asked her
to do something she would always put on a smile and try it. She and I
walked very slowly up her driveway. She was laboring but still so happy.
She was telling me how much she loved her house and how thankful she was.

She said she never would have imagined being able to live in such a fine
house (her words). She said she always wanted to know what it was like to
live like Mrs. Chancellor (from “The Young and the Restless”) and wondered
what it would be like to have a maid and “now I know” she said. We
laughed about that for a second and then I asked her how that made her
feel… she quickly said “loved.” So, as I looked at that picture, I
thought about that moment with tears in my eyes and I began to get really
sad. Then I looked down at the bottom of the picture and saw the date, it
was January 4th 2009.

I asked myself this question, if someone had told me that by the same time
next year she would have passed, would I have any regrets? I thought
about it for a few seconds and I can honestly say that I have no regrets.
With that thought, I felt the greatest sense of peace come over me. I
have no regrets. That is the best feeling. I know that I did everything
in my power for her. I can truly say there is not one thing I would
change. I didn’t realize how much of a blessing that was until I thought
about it.

I want to ask you that question today. Think about this…if I said to
you, by this time next year, someone you love the most will not be here,
would you have any regrets?

What a thought, right?

We waste so much time on petty grievances and arguments, being angry about
things that don’t really matter. If I can tell you anything, it would be
to fix the things you have done wrong. We live in so much fear by not
telling the people we love how much they mean to us, or never even
revealing to them that we love them.

You don’t want something to happen to the person you love and not have had
to have a chance to fix it. Or, for something to happen and you let that
person go to the grave not knowing they were truly loved. The guilt can
be overwhelming.

So take some time today to mend some fences and make peace. Give some
love and get some love. Even if you try and the other person doesn’t want
to hear it, you will rest better knowing that you tried to fix it, that
you tried to share it. Just knowing you tried, period, is enough to give
you peace.

This life is short and no man knows the day or the hour.

Tyler Perry

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