If I had only known I would have said,
"Jim, I love you and I'm so very proud of you."
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings
he brought to the lives of the many who loved him.
I would have taken time to appreciate his beautiful smile,
the sound of his laughter,
his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good attributes on the scale
and you try to balance all the irritating traits
such as the radio which was always too loud,
the haircut that wasn't to our liking,
the dirty socks under the bed, etc.
the irritations don't amount to much.
I won't get another chance to tell my son
all I would have wanted him to hear,
but, other parents,
you do have a chance.
Tell your young people what you would want them to hear
if you knew it would be your last conversation.
The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died.
He called me to say, "Hi, Mom!
I just called to say I love you.
Got to go to work. Bye."