Waiting until it's too late

I have attended two memorial services in the last five days. I didn't know either of the two people who died. I did know members of the immediate family and was there to support them. What the memorials had in common was an opportunity for family and friends to share their memories. No matter what the nature of the relationship had been, one speaker after another spoke about positive experiences from the past. I wondered how the person who had died would have felt if those thoughts had been expressed to them while they were alive. Perhaps if they had done so, it would have changed the scope of their relationship and drawn them closer together. What is it that prevents us from reaching out to those in our closest circle and telling them how much we care. The world might be a better place for it. What would you say to the person in your life regarding the way they have affected your life for the better?