Mya Williams: Why Wait Till Death to Eulogise Those We Love?

In the movie “The Fault In Our Stars”, the lead actor (cant remember his name right now) asks his on screen girlfriend (Shailene Woodley) to eulogise him. They were both sick with Cancer but his was advancing at a more rapid pace. She gave a beautiful eulogy and her boyfriend wept as she delivered it. He wept for her sincerity, the honesty in the words she used to describe him and for the pain in her eyes as she wrangled with the thought of one day never seeing him again. Lastly, he wept because he felt exactly the same way. That day he received a gift in the form of genuine empathy, honesty and love that he felt. A gift he was able to enjoy because he was there to hear it and also see her emotion.

A lot of people will not have the luxury of such a gift, because they would be dead and lying in an open coffin in the front of an altar, as opposed to sitting in an empty pew in the church, while your loved one eulogises you from the pulpit (as was in the film). Once in a while we tell our loved ones we love them; maybe on their birthdays, on a special occasion or perhaps when they’ve done something nice for us. However, do they REALLY KNOW that we love them and most importantly, do they FEEL that love? We should tell our loved ones and those we care about how we feel about them much more often, rather than wait for a cliché birthday message. We needn’t wait for a special occasion; let them feel the love now! One of the most beautiful quotes ever reads:

“I’ve learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

A feeling will never be forgotten. It may be conveyed through words, actions or inactions but it wouldn’t be about what you said or how you said it, it would be about how it made the person feel. So lets make our words and actions count as much as we can. Show love to those you care about NOW, let them know how you feel, there really is no time like the present. However, do not stop there, also show love, compassion and empathy to those you don’t know and those who may not be able to repay you.

A very Merry Christmas to the BN family!

Photo Credit: Dreamstime