Today marks the 10th anniversary of my late Uncles' passing. And truth be told...while it has been easier to bring him up in conversations without breaking into a sobbing wreck, I still miss him as much as ever.

Mentor, Best Friend, Teacher, Uncle, Curmudgeon, Dry Witted, Wise...he was all these things and more. We would laugh, we would argue...hell, we even cried at the ending of Crisis Core together!

He was also my first away-from-home roomie for 4 years...my first crush...my first rejection (chuckle)...my first "person"...the one I chose to stick with through thick and thin. Through the increasing disabilities, house repairs and days-old reheated meals.

What I miss most about him was his uncanny ability to tell me what I wanted to hear...while saying what I -needed- to hear all in the same sentence.

So for anyone reading this Journal, wanting to give condolences...pay this message forward. If you have someone you know in your life that, even at the angriest of times, they are in your thoughts every day...be it a moment or almost all the time...TELL them you love them.

Because you never know when that time comes when you lose that chance forever.