By MELISSA ONG
brats@thestar.com.my

I was having a meal with a cousin when he was informed that the bus his sister was riding home in after a camp flipped in the middle of the road and his sister was no where to be found.

My heart skipped a beat. My hands were shaking. I didn’t know what to say. I just felt a pain in my chest and I started crying. I tried to block the thoughts out of my head, but my mind just kept thinking the worst.

Thankfully, it turned out that she had survived the crash with only minor injuries, and had already made her way home.

Sadly, one of her friends, a young person just like her, perished at the site of the accident.

The events of the past few weeks have certainly taught me a lesson – appreciate life and all your loved ones, and do it now. We always hear people saying this, but only after near-death experiences, or when tragedy strikes. But as we all know, now more than ever, life can be very fragile indeed. Why do we have to wait till we lose something before we learn to appreciate it?

Life only comes around once, so make the most of it, and spend time with the people who make you happy.

And appreciating your loved ones can be as simple as saying “I love you” once in a while. It may seem unnecessary or even meaningless sometimes, but you’ll never know when’s the last chance you have to say it to that person.

So from today onwards, remember to seize the day and make the best of it. Give your loved ones a hug, and let them know how much you care for them, before it’s too late.

The writer is a member of The Star’s BRATs young journalist programme. For more info, log on to facebook.com/starbrats.