To those of you who still have grandparents alive, I am so envious of you. Why would I be envious of you? It’s because you still have what I’ve been missing in my heart since the day my grandfather died. You cannot fathom the pain or heartache until you lose someone that close to you. I lost all of my grandparents in one year. I know now after enduring such pain, heartache and loss how special and deep the love of a grandparent runs through a grandchild. I especially understand the importance of cherishing and creating as many memories with the people you love while they are still here. You truly never know when God will take his children back into his arms, so there is no time to waste.

A grandparent is someone who is always there for you, to guide, protect, advise and love you unconditionally no matter what. Grandparents are those who have most likely lived a long life and have so much knowledge and wisdom to help you in times where you feel lost. They listen, hug and care for you in the most unique way. All of their weird quirks, funny sayings, or their infamous birthday telegrams could all be gone in seconds.

To those of you who take this relationship for granted, it completely baffles me why you wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible with your grandparents. Even if you can’t see them every day, a phone call to them really is not too difficult for you. Imagine how much it would make their day.

I don’t understand why more grandchildren don't do that. I would see or speak to my grandparents almost every day. And I would do anything in the world to have that back. To be able to call my grandma and see how she is doing. Or be able to sit on the couch with my grandpa, hold his hand and watch the Yankees game. And be able to call my nonnie to see if she is ready for us to come visit her in Florida. I would do anything to hear their voice one last time or share one more hug. Sure, my grandparents faced their dispositions -- my grandma was blind and my Nonnie had dementia -- but that never stopped me from seeing or calling them. It never annoyed me with my Nonnie repeating herself every five minutes or having her famous one-liners such as “I don’t know why I am so tired.” In fact, it is something I wish I could hear/experience again.

My grandpa didn’t know how to swim, but he still came in the pool with my brother and I. My grandma was blind, but she sang and played the piano with such unbelievable talent it was incredible. My Nonnie could not remember a thing for the life of her, but she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to remind you of her abilities to make her famous cannolis. I had so much love and respect for each of my grandparents. I still do.

I lost my grandparents when I was 13, the most primitive time for a young girl in her life. Living through this time in my life where I felt like there was no one for me to bond with like that again while having a distorted conception of what family was and most of all feeling so alone and hopeless was so hard. When I needed them the most, they weren’t there, and that was something I had to learn to live without. I had to learn to live without someone always being there to listen to me and give advice. That was something that made me who I am today, which is strong.

I wish I could still be able to hear them say, “I love you.” Or hear my grandma always say how important education was and see the passion in her face as she explained why. And have my grandpa always holding my hand. Or be able to run into my Nonnie's room, in the morning, while visiting her in Florida, and “wake” her up with millions of kisses. That’s only a few of the many memories I have with them.

To those who still have grandparents around, please, do not take them for granted. They aren’t just good for gifts and incredible food. Take the time to get to know them and their lives. You may learn something incredible about yourself through talking with them. Their wisdom and knowledge is something to cherish and remember forever. Remember to always say, “I love you,” because you’ll never know when it’s your last.