Today (January 30, 2017), would have been my Great Uncle Al's 72nd birthday.

He died on October 29, 2014 at the age of 69.

Uncle Al used to call my family and I at least once a week. If he missed a week, he was sure to call the next. He lived 1,353 miles away, so this was the best he could do. I would talk to him about everything under the sun. He would ask me about school, so I would tell him. When I would tell him really general things like, "I like my classes", he would ask "which ones?" and then "Why?" He wasn't going to let me get away with a cop-out answer. If I told him I didn't like a class, he would, again, ask me why. Uncle Al was an economics professor for a long time, so I guess it makes sense that he would really dig into the school topics!

Not only would he talk to me about school, but he would talk to me about the future. Of course he would talk about girlfriends and whatnot too--mostly jokingly warning me to stay away, but he would talk to me about college and what I wanted to do with my degree almost every time I talked to him during my late-sophomore through early-senior years of high school. He died at the beginning of my senior year, so I never got to show him pictures of my graduation or my diploma.

I say this not just to tell you about my Uncle Al, but to give you a warning:

If you love someone, tell them.

Tell them how much they mean to you and how much you love them. The last time my Uncle Al called, I didn't answer the phone because I was "busy". My definition of busy would have changed if I had known that it was the last time I would get the chance to talk to him. If I could go back and change things, I would. For the first year or so after his death, I would blame myself. I would tell myself that I was an awful great-nephew for not answering his call and talking to him every chance I got. I've since come around and realized that I'm not a terrible person. I'm certainly not happy with my decision at the time, but I don't beat myself up about it anymore.

I was always able to go to my Uncle Al with any questions I had or if I just wanted to talk. He was a wise man who was always looking to share his wisdom with me. I look back and I wish that I had listened to his wisdom just a little more closely, because I don't remember it as well as I would like to.

I don't care how annoying you think that one family member is, or how many times you have fought; if you care about them even a little, you tell them that you care about them. If you feel like they have wronged you, forgive them and tell them that you love them. If there is someone in your life that you look up to, tell them how much you value them. Anyone that you love, care about, value, look up to, are proud of, anything! Tell them.

I missed my chance with my Uncle Al. Don't miss yours.