Last week I had two experiences that got me thinking about this week’s MIBE Message. The first was a presentation by Richard Picciotto, who was the highest ranking firefighter to survive the World Trade Center collapse 20 years ago. He was on the sixth floor in the stairwell when the tower he was in collapsed, leaving him buried in the ruble. Miraculously, he ended up being the last fireman to escape the devastation. He spoke about his experience racing toward the towers after they had been hit by planes, going floor to floor trying to save as many people as possible and coming face to face with death as the tower came down and left him in complete darkness. As his life flashed before his eyes, he shared what he thought about - his friends and family and what he would like to say to them.

The second experience was attending the memorial for my good friend Kelly Seavall’s brother, Grant Seavall, who passed away at 55 years old on September 22nd. During a somber time, it was heartwarming to listen to the stories about Grant shared among friends and family members. Hearing the things they cherished about him, brought a smile to my face as I tried to support them in the grieving process. It made me pause and wonder - how many of those amazing things had been shared with him while he was still alive? While he had struggled with health challenges, his passing was sooner than many had expected and I’m sure there were a number of people who wished they could have had the opportunity to say “goodbye”.

Sometimes it takes something drastic to happen in order for us to share our appreciation for another human being. It’s easy to get complacent and take people for granted , especially when we see them every day. We assume our friends and family know how we feel. We say “I love you”, but do we take time to look someone in the eye when we say it? We hug, but do we actually embrace one another? And that’s our closest friends and family members. Think about all of the people who have had a significant impact on your life? Do they know the role they played in your growth as a person? We often don’t share with them what they did or how they helped shape our lives.

After last week, it made me want to be better in this area of my life. I’ve done this from time to time, but not consistently enough, despite the fact that it fills my soul when I do. I committed to reach out with a heartfelt message to one person every day this week. To let them know how I feel about them, or to thank them for making me a better person, or to share something I respect and value about them. I realize this is a small goal, but it’s more people than I did this for last week. Plus, I’ve found that small starts have a better chance for sustained success than trying to go from zero to 100. A lot of people are hurting right now and human connection is at the essence of what keeps us alive. We need to know that we matter and we need to express our gratitude for one another. Will you join me by reaching out to someone in your life each day this week? We’re not going to change the world over night, but if we are a little better each day, we just might have a chance.