"You are worth more than all the money in the world!"

"I wouldn't trade you for nothing!"

"You're more valuable than gold!"

"Indispensable!"

Gee, it must be somebody important. Bill Gates? President Bush?

No, it's usually the person who you least pay attention to everyday. It's the person in your life whom you take for granted. It's the one who is just always there as part of the background in your hurried little life.

It's your best friend. It's your neighbor. It's most likely someone even closer than that. Mom. Dad. Husband. Wife. Brother. Sister. Child.

"Oh, they know I love them. They know how important they are to me. God, what would I do without them?"

I don't know. But pray that you never find out.

You see just this week I received wonderful heartfelt messages from people who have had their lives turned upside down because that person I described in the beginning of this message is gone.

Dead. Divorced. Run away. In a coma.

Left behind are people saying wonderful things about them and they aren't there to hear it. Remaining here are people wondering what hit them because now they feel so empty and lost because of that void left by there absence.

With it all, the most tragic part of it all, the heaviest burden of it all...regret!

"I know I should have told them more often."

"If only I knew this was going to happen I would have been more attentive."

"You know one day we were planning to..."

Petty, stupid reasons about being too busy, not aware, miles separated us, they never told me, I always thought they knew, he was so healthy, I didn't know she was depressed, I just figured...

Regret
by Bob Perks

I thought you'd always be there
Just a touch away
I tried to say I love you
I meant to every day
But you know how the world is
With work and time and such
I always knew I needed you
I didn't know how much.


I shouldn't have to say another word to get my point across. But here are the words of one Mother who wrote to me:

"He was born and gone in a span of 18 years. But it seems like a second in time. I blinked and he was gone. They say a car suddenly pulled in front of him. It took a second for my whole world to turn upside down.
I never realized how valuable time was. Because it would have taken me just a second to say "I love you!" that day. I didn't. I didn't take the time to tell him."

So, do you have second?

    "I Believe in you!"
    Bob Perks © 2001
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