We all have individuals we wish were still with us. Each and every one of us has or will experience loss at some point, unfortunately it’s just a part of life. Whether you have lost a friend, sibling, parent, or a grandparent you probably wish you could have just one more conversation with them, I know I do. Given the chance I would tell them these things:

I love you.

It’s something I’ve come to learn you can’t say enough. It’s not something we said very often, it was always just understood, but given the chance I’d still tell you. In the midst of all the happy memories sometimes we forget to make sure the people who mean the most to us know how much we love them.

I hope I get to be half the person you were.

You were nothing short of amazing. You were kind, loving, caring and always fun to be around. I have been blessed to have had you in my life. I hope years and years from now I am an amazing grandparent/great grandparent just as you were. You're not here, but that doesn't mean you stop being someone I look up to.

I miss you, I always will.

I will never forget you. You seem to cross my mind at seemingly random times, as well as when I reach those important life milestones. The sight of a similar vehicle you use to drive is enough to remind me of you. Whether it’s a hammer for my grandfather, or a needle and thread for my great grandmother, I find pieces of you in the littlest things. I will always miss you and I will always think of you.

I want to make you proud.

In who I become and all I do I want it to be something that would make you proud. I’m sure at the end of our lives we all wish and you may have even wished you’d done some things differently. I promise to make the most of this life, and remember you all the way. I promise to strive to make you proud every step of the way.

Thank you.

Whether it’s for giving me sweets when I wasn't suppose to have any, or driving hours to pick me up, I would thank you. I would thank you for teaching me to cross-stitch, hammer a nail and for bandaging my never ending injuries. There is so much I would thank you for, there is so much I AM thankful for. For me, I’d say these things to my grandfather, Bampa and my great grandmother, Grammie Olive. Although different people come to mind for you, I’m sure you would wish to thank them for all the wonderful memories too.

For the most part, I’ve learned to think of happy memories of the people I have lost without getting sad. I will always wish they were still here to see everything I am accomplishing, but nonetheless I take comfort in knowing they are with me in some form or another. I hope my readers will relate to these thoughts, and take comfort in knowing many of us feel the same way about loved ones we have lost.