i went to my cousins funeral this weekend. he was only 34 and had two kids (3 and 5) and a wife. on one hand i saw unity within my family. my family has always been close and it was good to see this only drew them closer. on the other hand, it was sad to think back on all the good times i had with Steve ...he took me on my first snomobile ride as a kid, he was always there to beat me up, and all the times playing super Nintendo. In the last couple of years, he had two boys and i loved seeing him play with them, he was a father who loved his kids... and to know that all i have of steve now. during the viewing they had posterboard after posterboad of pictures of him living life. and as i talked to my Dad, he said, that we are really just sad for ourselves. we will never be able to hang out and laugh with him, i will never be able to get tips on how to take pictures again. i will never get to see him be a dad again. and for that i am sad. you never understand the gap until its there, you can't understand the void until you experience it. at the funeral his dad my uncle, said this "life is short, too short, before you leave today, make sure you grab a person you love and tell them that, because you don't know if that's the last opportunity." | 
