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I never thought I would be faced with what came my way this past June. My cousin, best friend and sister I never had was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. At first, I was in shock. Surely the doctors were joking. Surely they could do SOMETHING to help her. Surely there were other options. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was no joke. They weren't wrong and there was little they could do for her except radiation, chemotherapy and a whole lot of praying.

Within a short period of time, she started her radiation treatments which completely wiped her out. She could barely stay awake for longer than two to three hours at a time. Visitors were kept to a minimum and discouraged at times. She simply didn't have enough strength to talk to people.

All of her friends and family were in shock with the diagnosis. How could someone so lively, so funny, so energetic one minute be bedridden and unable to eat the next? But during this hectic, crazy, almost surreal time, I was amazed at the generosity and kindness of the human spirit. Her friends made a meal schedule and arranged for a meal to be made everyday during her radiation treatments. Her sister-in-law ordered bracelets through the Brain Tumor Foundation and sold over 400 of them to friends and family. Her sister took a sick leave from work so she could take care of her two children.

My cousin's illness has proven to me that at the end of the day, most human beings want to help others; that most human beings have compassion for one another; and that most human beings are capable of loving each other when push comes to shove. But why is it that we have to wait until something terrible happens to someone before we demonstrate to them just how much they mean to us?

I'm no different than you. I took her for granted. She was my "go-to" person, the person who picked me up and dusted me off when I had problems. She was my biggest cheerleader when I decided to go into business for myself. She was always there for me. And I'm ashamed to say that I don't know if I've always been there for her. I certainly have never told her (until this past summer) that I loved her or that she meant the world to me.

But now I want you to learn from my mistakes. Tell those who are near and dear to you that you love them; that you can't imagine life without them. Ask them what you can do for them to make their day, week or month easier for them. Listen to them talk - actually listen without any distractions. Make them feel as if they are the only person in the room who matters.

The first article I wrote for Chat, Chew and Chocolate was about the definition of etiquette and I explained that etiquette was about making another person feel important; that it's not about rules and regulations so much as treating others the way you would want to be treated.