Family is important to me, as it should be. The only problem is that my mom is the fifth of six children born in her family. Between that and not finding my dad until 1994, the age gap between myself and my grandparents was inevitable. My grandfather, born in 1923, was a proud Marine in World War II, a hard worker, and an upstanding family man. My grandmother, two years his junior, had a quick but stern wit that left her unforgettable in the eyes of so many people that knew her. Unfortunately for me, I barely got to know either of them because I was almost five when my grandfather died and twelve when my grandmother died. I think about them often and wonder if they'd be proud of the woman I'm becoming. Here are six things that I wish they could be here for.

1. My high school graduation.

When I graduated from high school, I was the salutatorian of my class. This is something that I think my grandparents would have been immensely proud of, considering they went out of her way to teach me new things every time I visited. The entire time that I was giving my speech at graduation, I kept imagining their faces out in the audience. I would give anything to hear what they thought of my Harry Potter-themed speech.

2. My college graduation.

When I graduate in May 2019, I will be the first person in my family line to graduate from a four-year collegiate institution. The significance of that moment is everything. To go from two people who didn't even have the option to go to college to a college graduate in two generations is amazing. My success as a college student comes directly from years of learning and extremely supportive parents, who learned from my grandparents. In part, I owe my future degree to my grandparents and I wish that they could be here to share in that accomplishment.

3. My wedding.

While it's a long way away, something that I always regret is that my grandparents won't be there to see me start my own family. They were a model of a lasting relationship that I hope to follow, as my parents also did. Family was so important to them and not having the chance for them to meet my future family is something that I think about every day.

4. The birth of my children.

Following along the logical succession of events, I think that my grandparents would be so excited to welcome my children into a loving family. I often think of the frustration that I feel knowing that I barely knew my grandparents and definitely never had the chance to meet my great grandparents. Having their guidance would mean everything to me.

The moral of this whole piece is that anyone who is blessed enough to have their grandparents around for a long time should thank their lucky stars. I'd give just about anything to know my grandparents longer.