This sweet realization comes to Peter after Tinker Bell sacrifices herself to save him from Captain Hook's "present", even though Tink was extremely jealous of his and "the Wendy bird"'s budding friendship. He realized just how much she meant to him but never said it before.
This one moment in the movie Peter Pan shows everyone just how quickly things can change in an instant and how important it is to tell people (or fairies) just how much they mean to you while they are alive. The way the news is nowadays, it's better to tell those you love how much they mean to you now more than ever. It could be as grand as a marraige proposal (or today's prom-posals). It could be as simple as "I'm so glad you're my friend" or "I'm proud of the person you've become" or "I accept you for who you are" or just "I love you". However you choose, don't let the chance to tell them pass you by, for you may never get the chance again.
The best example I can think of this comes from personal experiance. Almost 10 years ago (Jan. 2009) my grandmother passed away. Though she lived far away (12 hours by car), my parents made sure my sister and I had as many chances to see her and the rest of our "far away" relatives as we could growing up, which made for many wonderful memories (like getting to make coleslaw with my grandfather fresh from his huge garden before school started and getting to wake up Christmas morning to a very special Chriistmas snow and Santa finding us at our grandmother's house, not our own). During the latter part of her years, she was stricken with dementia, which took many of her memories of her 80something years. On one visit, it was just me, Mom, Dad, and my oldest nephew who was about 2 at the time. During the visit, she said my son was beautiful and handsome after we came in the room and sat at the foot of her bed, which confused my nephew because I look nothing like his mom. I didn't have the heart to tell her that "my son" was my nephew, because I knew she wouldn't understand, since he had dark hair and eyes like me and because of how much the dementia had taken of her mind. It hurt in a way because I wanted her to say that to me about my own son one day, yet I know she didn't mean to and I'm glad I got to hear them either way. Before I left her nursing room I gave her a hug and told her "I love you". Little did I know, that that was the last time I'd get a chance to hug her and tell her "I love you" in person. At the end she could only say "I go home", meaning her daddy's house (my great-grandfather's) after my mom got her to clarify which home she meant one time. Sadly that signaled to us it was almost her time to go to Heaven where her daddy had been since before I was born. I'll never forget that one last phone call we had and I'll cherish it forever. The night before she passed my mom called me and put my grandmother on the phone. I asked her how she was doing and she said "I go home". I told her to have a fun trip and I couldn't wait to hear all about it. In the back ground I heard mom say "tell her I love you" after a moment's silence. She then said "Becky I love you." Then I told her "I love you too. I'll see you later". Then mom came back on the phone and said she'd talk to me soon and I told her "I love you" as well.As we hung up, I got this feeling in my gut it was the last time I would get to talk to her. Sadly, the next phone call I got was the next morning and my mom telling me my grandmother had passed away in her arms during the night. Though her death was hard on all of us, especially my mom and her 3 older brothers, having these wonderful memories takes a lot of the sting out of it.
One ritual we have as a family is to end our calls with "I love you". We know all too well just how precious life is and how much we mean to each other, even though it often goes unspoken. Having long distances between us does not help either, but it also reenforces our desires to let the other know just how much they mean to us. It's also very comforting to hear those simple words too.
So with that being said, always let those you love, even friends, know just how much they mean to you and Keep Cooking With Character!
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