Unfortunately, as part of our human existence, one of the worst things we must face in life, is death. All of us, at some point in our lives, will suffer the pain of losing someone we love.

Recently, many people I know, including our "Unreserved Judgment" columnist Ron Goldman, lost someone they love. Seeing so many people I care about having to cope with the loss of a loved one got me thinking about how unpredictable life is – and how precious the time we have with the ones we love can be.

When someone we love passes away, we always question why they were taken from us. "Why her?" "Why now?" Then, we always punish ourselves for something we should have done with or said to the person we just lost. "I never got a chance to say goodbye," or "I should have spent more time with him," plague our conscience. I speak from experience.

In retrospect, when it comes to coping with such a devastating loss, I feel that the best thing to do is remember the time you spent with the person you lost – and fill your mind with happy memories and funny anecdotes rather than feelings of sadness and guilt over what you did not do or say.

For example, my father passed away when I was 9 of a heart attack. Sure, there are times I get sad that he is no longer with me, like on Father’s Day and on his birthday – but most of the time – I fondly remember the few memories that I have of him, which, I feel, brings me closer to him, rather than make me miss him all the time – making the fact that he is gone all that much worse.

If you are suffering from the pain of losing someone you love, try this – it works.

I wish to extend my sincere condolences to Ron Goldman and to all those who have recently lost someone they love. Life is truly a very precious gift, and one that should be treasured and enjoyed to the fullest. I am a firm believer in living each day as if it was your last – thereby getting the most out of the time you have been given. This also applies to those we love. By cherishing every moment we spend with those we love, they will become even closer to us because we will look at the time we are given with them as a snapshot in time – and a moment we will never forget... especially when we have to say goodbye.