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Never take your loved ones for granted

Hold your loved ones a little bit tighter tonight. Tell them you love them and make a conscious effort to spend time with each and every one of them.

The tough reality of life is that we never know when the last time we'll see or talk to someone will be. There's nothing worse than losing a loved one whom you know you could and should have made more time for.

Unfortunately, between kids, work, and other responsibilities, many of us are strapped for time. Some things and people naturally get put on the back burner.

But even a phone call, text, email, or message via Facebook is something. At the very least, you can arrange to see someone once every couple of months. Even better, you can host a get-together to which you invite your closest friends and relatives. That's like killing several birds with one stone.

I've said this before innumerable times on the blog: Time is the most valuable gift you can give a person. Why? Because it's the one thing -- other than your own life -- that you can't get back once it's gone. Giving a person your time shows that you care enough to stop whatever else you're doing and show interest in his or her life. 

We wish we could be in several places -- with several people -- at once, but the day has only so many hours. 

Make time for the people who have been there for you through thick and thin -- your parents, siblings, kids, and so forth. They could be here today and gone tomorrow. 

We don't know how long our time on earth will be, so we have to make the most of it. And what better way to spend your days than with those who mean the world to you?

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