We all have that family member whom the family always talks about, but whom you never got the chance to meet. [S]he lived before our time and as fate would have it, we never got the chance to experience how wonderful [s]he was. Now we only have the chance to think of what we would have said, but there's no way to capture a lifetime of potential memories. So here's to them: the ones we loved and lost too soon.

To you, the one they always talk about,

I wish I could have been there for the things everyone tells me about. More than anything, I wish you were still here today.

They say I would have loved you, because of all the great experiences they had with you. My sister tells me about how you used to babysit my brother and her and you would always take them to the pool. She talks about the time you picked them up in your swim suit and the men painting the road lines got distracted by you and ended up painting crooked lines. You used to play house and dress-up with my sister and her friends, and when they fought over who got the princess or queen crown, you volunteered to be the prince so they could both be queen. Mom talks about the time you tried to dye her hair but accidentally turned it green instead, and about how hardworking you were. You put your everything into school and would've finished at the top of your class.

They say I would have loved you for the little things you did. You loved to bake and sing, and would even dance around in your underwear without a care in the world. You would sing Christmas carols in Grandma's living room, and you always played that song about the coconuts in your car.

They say I would have loved you for how much you loved our family. Even when you moved to a different state, you would still make it a point to come back for birthdays. Sometimes people ask, "If you could go back in time and meet anyone, who would it be?" and my answer is you in a heartbeat. I would give anything to know you and show you who I have become. I could show you my favorite places and tell you about my day. I would ask you for advice, because I know you would be great at that. I wonder what it would be like if you were still here, what kind of family kind of family you would have. I think about how you never got the chance to meet my cousins and me, and how things could have been different, but I know you're always with us in those pictures on the wall, watching over us and guiding us through life.

They say I would have loved you, and I'll make sure my family knows about you, too. When I grow up and have a family of my own, they'll hear your stories and know how amazing you were, just like I do.

They say I would have loved you, and I know they're right.

Love,

Me, the one who came a little too late