Many years back few of us friends had gathered together in the food court in our office and we were enjoying our evening break. As we were talking and making fun of each other, one brother told us, “Why don’t we discuss something?”. It was a time somewhere near father’s day.
The brother told us to share about our fathers.
One shared about the sacrificial life his father lived for the sake of the family shouldering all the burden. One said that her father was the reason she never gave up in life.
One girl was trying to hold her tears but her the tears escaped the eyelids and peeped out to see who was making her cry. She said that if it was not for her father the family would have drowned in poverty, it was his sacrifice and ability to save money that saved the family.
Soon when the turn came to the brother who initiated this conversation, he slowly opened up.
That brother said,
“My father passed many years ago. Losing my father was the biggest downfall in my life. Everything in my life changed after my father passed away. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t remember a day I have not cried. My pillow knows how much I have cried.”
He added with tears,
” I kept telling myself if only I had taken him to a different doctor… If only I had spent more time with him… if only I listened to him when he spoke… if only I gave more attention to his health…Even though I know that losing my father was not in my hands I kept regretting about a lot of things. And the biggest regret was that I never told him how much I loved him.”
He wiped his tears and said,
“I loved my father so much and I was always proud of him. I used to tell so many tales about him to my friends. But never have I ever told my dad how much I loved him. Now it’s too late. I can never tell him how much I loved him. I can never tell him that I’m so proud of him. I can never appreciate him for what he has done in our lives. I tell you my friends never make the mistake that I did.”
He finally cleared his throat and said,
“Go! Let go of your ego and tell your loved ones how much you love them. If you are shy to say it out loud say it through a letter. But say it before it’s too late. Time is irreversible. Go and tell them that you love them.”
After hearing that tears rolled from our eyes. And we learnt a life lesson!
Dear Pal,
That brother’s words are still in my heart. And I know these life lessons are much needed now. Loved ones deserve to feel loved. Our ego should not stop us from making our loved ones feel loved. Let’s express it! What is the use if it’s inside?
