I went to a rehearsal dinner tonight for one of my cousins, which got me thinking about family. Here goes.

You can choose your friends but not your family. For better or worse, you’re stuck with your relatives. And before you go and start bad-mouthing your family members, remember that you’re just as imperfect as they are.

You will have many friends over your lifetime, many of whom will come and go, but you only get one family. After they’re gone, that’s it.

While you may at times think that nothing can be worse than your relationship with a certain family member, there is something worse than that. Regret over lost opportunity.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, is worse than the regret over the broken relationships that you can never go back and fix once the other member is gone. And by gone, I mean dead.

I love the scene in the movie Home Alone where the old neighbor finally calls his estranged son and they are reconciled. I love the idea that it’s never too late while the other person is still alive to reach out and seek reconciliation.

So remember that. Whatever hurt you may feel is nothing compared to the regret of a lost relationship. Forgiving is hard, but not as hard as having to say “I’m sorry” to a tombstone.