Loss of a loved one

We heard the shocking news today of the passing of my dad's younger brother. I will admit, I have never had a family member that I am close to die before, so this has been more of a challenge than I ever thought. I grew up with my aunts and uncles around. This changed as I grew older, but I will always have happy memories of those times. Now that I am adult, I have come to see that things were not as rosy as I had painted them out to be. My dad's siblings don't always get along and now with the shock of my uncle passing, I think things were left unsaid. Things that should have been said more often, like, "I love you". I am an only child, so I may not understand fully what the sibling relationship is. However, I know that every relationship that we are given on this earth is for our growth and to see how much we can truly love God's children. I am so sad at the passing of my uncle, but I have already seen how my family has come together in ways that I thought weren't possible. I hope that we can all reflect on our relationships with those that we love because we chose to love them and those that God put in our life to love. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow just may be too late. I know that the Jesus lives. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that we can be together forever as families. I love my family. I hope they know this. We love you Alan and we will miss you.