In this week’s journaling prompt all you have to do is to answer a simple question which encompasses a myriad of emotions in it: “If you had a second chance with someone who would he/her be?”

I have so many people I would like to have a second chance to meet. A friend who died at a very young age from cancer. A friend who was killed under horrific circumstances. Another friend who had lost his life in a hiking accident. I would have given so much if I had had just one more chance to speak to them and tell them how special I think they are and how sorry I am that I didn’t get the chance to spend much more time with them, while I still could.

These are all examples of people who were gone at a young age, unexpectedly but there are also many people who are gone from my life, either dead or alive, who were bound to go away – but I still wish I had at least one more chance to meet them.

One of my personal examples to these kinds of second chances is my late grandfather, Moses. He had died when I was 11 years old and I tremendously regret that I didn’t understand him properly as a child and therefore didn’t accept him as the special and wonderful man that he was.

My grandfather was indeed a magnificent person. He had suffered a lot during the Holocaust. He had lost his wife and his little girl and had been through hell in Auschwitz. The numbers which were scalded on his hand also signified the harsh scalding of his heart and soul. Nevertheless, my grandfather managed to always smile and keep looking at life with plenty of optimism. My grandfather was definitely one kind of a man.

However, I didn’t look at him that way back then, when I had my chance. For me he always looked too distant and too quiet. I could not understand why he wouldn’t talk to me about his past. I could not understand why he would not touch me without his cane. I just wasn’t mature enough to understand these things.

Nowadays I understand. I appreciate him so much. I appreciate the way he handed chocolate to all the kids in the park because there were times he could only remotely remember the sweetness of chocolate. I cherish the way he carried me to bed (while using a cane) when I fell asleep on the carpet, so I would not have to sleep on the floor like he did once. I understand now. But I have lost my chance to tell him that directly.

There is a lesson learned, though. My lesson for life is to never hold back feelings of gratitude and appreciation toward people. You can never know when you are going to lose your chance of doing so in the future.

Who would you like to have a second chance with? If you want to share your thoughts with me, just leave a comment or contact me discreetly.