You know how there are some things we have in abundance, and because they're always there, we assume they'll never run out? We begin to treat them as though they'll always be available.
Let me tell you a little story.
There was a little girl who was always complaining about her mother.
"Mommy always tells me to sweep."
"She doesn't even care if I'm tired."
"Do this."
"Do that."
"Can't she just let me be?"
Then one day, her mother travelled.
At first, she was excited.
"Finally! I can do whatever I want."
Day one wasn't so bad. She cooked.
Day two, she cooked again, though not as well as she did the first day.
By day three, the excitement had started wearing off.
By day four, reality settled in.
There was no one reminding her what needed to be done. No one planning the meals. No one making sure everything was in order. She suddenly had to think like an adult because Mommy wasn't around.
After a week, she couldn't take it anymore.
She called her mother.
"Mommy, when are you coming home?"
Her mother replied,
"Not yet. I still have a few things to do. I'll come back when I'm done."
Another week passed, and it became even harder.
She called again.
"Mommy, please come home."
Her mother laughed in surprise.
"But you've always wanted me out of the house so you could enjoy yourself."
And that was the moment it hit her.
She had taken her mother for granted.
The truth is, many of us do the same thing.
We don't realize the value of what we have until we no longer have it.
That parent who keeps asking if you've eaten.
That father who seems to disagree with almost everything you do.
That friend who checks up on you all the time.
That partner who tells you every little detail about their day.
Sometimes we complain that they're "doing too much."
Then one day, the calls stop.
The hugs stop.
The messages stop.
The reminders stop.
The house becomes quiet.
And suddenly, the very things that once annoyed us become the things we miss the most.
We often don't realize how valuable people are until their absence creates a space nothing else can fill.
So don't wait until it's too late.
Call your parents.
Send that message to your friend.
Appreciate your partner.
Say thank you.
Say I'm sorry.
Tell them you love them while they're still here to hear it.
Because life has a way of reminding us, sometimes too late, that the things we called "ordinary" were actually some of our greatest blessings.
Don't let death, distance, or regret be what teaches you the value of someone.
Appreciate them now.
While you still can.