By Annie Henriksen 
I always say ‘‘I love you’’
“I love you.” Three simple words that take seconds to say. Those three words weigh so much, they mean the world. Three simple words…
I always say ‘’I love you’’ when I hang up the phone. Always.
The one thing I have learned is that life is short, your world can change in an instant.
We wake up every day and take for granted that we can sit and eat breakfast with the ones we love. We rush out the door for the day and we are busy at work. We assume our loved ones will be there when we lay our head on our pillow that night.
Think about it right now; what were the last words you said to those you love? If you never saw them again, what would be the last words you ever said to them?
‘’I love you.’’ It’s almost an automatic response now when I hang up the phone. In fact, my husband, who has also picked up the habit, will even say it as he hangs up the phone while he is walking in the door when I called him on his way home from work.
Even if it has now become an automatic response, those three words are not lost. They still carry weight. I mean every word. I do love them.
We know we could get cancer tomorrow. We know we can get in a car accident on the way to pick up our morning coffee, our life could be taken away in the blink of an eye. We know that in the back of our mind. It’s not until something happens that rocks you to your core that you think twice about it.
Just days ago, my brother in-law was sitting in a staff meeting at the school where he works… when the windows blew out, ceiling tiles fell, the room went dark. The school, a place you assume is a safe place, exploded. This freak gas leak took out over a third of the building. Thankfully he survived and was unharmed. However, it rocked our family to the core and made us hold our breath.
It reminds you that no matter what, things can change in a blink of an eye. You can’t take for granted those people in your life.
‘‘I love you’.’ I want those to be the last words my family hears. I want them to know how thankful I am to have them in my life, how much they mean to me and how much I care about them. At the end of the day, all we have is family. It’s not something we should ever take for granted.
What were the last words you said to your loved ones this morning? Did you kiss your spouse goodbye this morning? My husband whispered three simple words in my ear as he left the house this morning, “I love you.”
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