You were there when I was born. You were there for my high school graduation. You were there for my first home run. You were there then, and you will continue to be there for me throughout my life.

I just want to thank you. Thank you for your endless love and support. For always being willing to show me a thing or two, and to pick me up when I've fallen down. Thank you for all of the advice, and stories of your experiences.

You are always willing to help me. Whenever my car has broken down (which has happened all too often), you have always volunteered to help. Many times you have spent hours in my driveway, figuring out the problem and showing me how you fixed it. Often, you would enlist me to help. I really appreciate that. Now, I know quite a bit about motors, and what it means when things go wrong.

You are always there when I need a pick-me-up. Even if it's just a text, you always remind me that I am loved and that you are thinking of me. When I was younger, you would stop by with stuffed animals from the claw machine. At the time, I was so excited to get a new toy. Now it means so much more to me. It shows me that even if you were just walking out of the store, you thought of me and showed me that I am important.

You show me endless love. Through all of the back and forth banter, and all of the times you have pestered me to the point of driving me nuts, you have shown me love. You illustrate to me that there are good, caring people out there. You are one of them. And I am so thankful for you.

You give good advice. Whether it be about cars, how to fix them and maintain them, or about boys, or the best routes to get places, you always have an answer to everything. You would give me pointers after softball games. Or you would teach me about sprint cars and NASCAR and all of the components to a winning team. I know a lot more than the average girl, thanks to you.

You also give me a lot of crap. You have shown me what it is like to have a thick skin -- to be strong and tough and to stand up to others and how to defend myself. Thanks for always being supportive of me. For coming to my softball games, and for helping me make tough decisions. I know that you are always a person that I am able to go to with anything.

You have also shown me that I should never lose hope. When things don't go my way or I am frustrated, I should always persevere. I know things haven't exactly gone the way you would have planned in your life, but you have always kept an optimistic outlook, and a positive attitude on life.

If I could, I would want everyone to experience what it is like to have such a great uncle like you. Thank you for being such a strong, positive role model in my life.