What would you like to share with someone who's passed on?

My mom so loved being up at our cabin and early in her cancer diagnosis we had made firm plans for her to come up to the cabin after her Chemo/rad treatments. She only made it halfway through the treatments. My dad did not live to see us get the cabin which is too bad as his love for living on a lake was the impetus for us buying the cabin.

My wife’s dad died when he was 50 and she was just finishing high school. He had worked with my mom a long time ago and always joked that he was “pulling for me” to last with his little girl. (Then his Marine buddies would “just happen” to have my phone number to call and ask me questions, which continued well after he died.)

He was old school, funny, and very important to my wife. I wish he could have seen her get married and see how hard working his two youngest daughters are. I think that would have made him prouder than anything. I also wish I could tell him how many times he gets quoted by both of them. I’m fairly sure he would laugh loudly at the “knowledge” he got to share.

I would love the gift of more time with my late mother. She died four years ago at the age of 55, less than a month after my 24th birthday.

So many things I wish I could share with her. I wish I could hear her opinions on today’s current events (of which she would have many). I wish she could meet my partner, who is wonderful. I wish she would see how accomplished my brothers are becoming and how happy we all are. Too many things to list. All I can say is that I’m glad we had the relationship we did for as long as we were able. For that I feel truly fortunate.