You never know what you have until it’s gone. These words have never been more true. Five days ago I lost one of the most precious women in my life, my Aunt Kelli. Having been completely unexpected, it still hasn’t sunk in that she is gone. The little things that we take for granted are always the ones that we end up missing the most. I’m going to miss the moments at dinner when she would constantly be checking her phone for baseball updates, all of the goofy Snapchat filter pictures that she posted on Instagram, and the way that she loved my sister and I.

A lot of us are guilty of taking people for granted. We tend to think that our loved ones will always be around until something tragic happens that takes them away. Most of you will probably agree with the quote that I started this blog off with, but how many of you will actually determine in your hearts to treat everyone with love as if it was their last day alive? Sadly I have had to come to realize this on my own. You don’t realize the strong impact someone has on your life until they’re no longer there to keep it going.

My whole life my family, friends and I have always made it a point to end each phone conversation with “Bye love you”. Whether that’s out of habit or true intentional love, it doesn’t matter. As long as the last thing I say to them is that I love them. Although this is not the most uplifting topic to discuss, it is a necessary one. The only person who knows when our last day on earth is, is God. We are not promised another second here on earth. That is why we need to live every day to the fullest, cherish our loved ones and treat everyone with kindness. It sounds cliche, but take it from me. Why should we make it a point to be reserved when it comes to our love for others? Life is too short to be filled with words unspoken. Tell someone you love them because it may just be the last time you do.