Why Do We Wait Until It's Too Late?

This week a friend of mine lost her father. He has been sick for quite some time, but she could never be prepared for the impact of his death. Last night she read me a letter she wrote to him after he passed away. In it she said things that she never said to him in person. Things she felt were too cheesy to voice. Things she felt he wouldn't understand. Emotions from the heart that really can't be put into words.

Hearing her words got me thinking. Why do we wait until it's too late? Why do we not say the things that really need to be said? Why do we not express the love that overflows our hearts? Why do we not express the emotions we hold inside regardless of how difficult it may be?

Is it because of pride? Is it because of not being able to find the words? Or possibly it is because of past hurts, that we can't get past long enough to express the joy, the love, the admiration, the honor we feel for our loved one's.

Whatever it is, I wish it weren't so. I wish we all didn't wait until it was too late to say the things that we hold under lock and key deep in our hearts. I'll be the first to admit my guilt for not speaking the treasures I keep hidden in my heart. But today, listening to my friend read the words she could never express to her dad, it makes me want to try to move past my fears to ensure I don't regret saying the things that need to be said before it's too late.