An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death’s agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.

With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven: There, spread out on the kitchen table, were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it merely one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. His aged and withered hand made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when his wife suddenly smacked it with a spatula. “Stay out of those,” she said. “They’re for the funeral.”

Many times in life we don’t do things for people while they are alive but wait until they are dead; what hypocrites we are. Love that wasn’t shown to a person while they were alive is not genuine.

Never leave a kind word unsaid and never leave a kind action undone till too late. If we are grateful for the loved ones in our lives, we must show them that we love them while they are still alive. Pay that visit now, make that call now, do that kind deed now; don’t delay.