Words of thanks I wish I had said to my parents

I found this writing in another blog I had started (Philippians413).
My mom died on January 11, 2011. 

These are some things I should have told her before she died.

Mom - I love you so much. Thanks for being there for me- especially when I was younger. I know you were on my side alot - cause you were the youngest of four kids, just like me. I'm sorry for the times I disappointed you and dad. Thanks for forgiving me. Thanks for giving me unconditional love and supporting me when I was a single parent. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for teaching me about flowers or atleast how to weed around them (though I wish you had stopped adding more gardens to your property). I'm sorry I didn't gain your love for sewing or knitting. I can't add cooking, cause I know you didn't like that either. And though this might sound strange - thanks for not showing me how to use makeup or do my nails - you've saved me a lot of money over the years! Thanks for sharing your love of travel with me - I love it too. And I'm slowly learning where all of the dirt roads in Crawford County lead to. Thanks for always pointing out the hawks and eagles on our road trip - I handed that down to my kids too. I could go on and on. You taught me a lot and I really appreciate it. Thanks. I hope to do as well with my own kids and grandkids. I love you. I'll see you again - in heaven.

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Why is it that we don't acknowledge how much we admire or appreciate others 

while  they're still alive? We should be celebrating their life all year long, because you 

never know when their last day will be here, nor your own.

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My dad died June 8, 2008. These are some things I should have told him.

Dad - I love you so much. Thanks for supporting me over the years and taking time to go fishing and teaching me about patience (waiting for the fish to bite) and how to enjoy nature. I'll never forget the times when you were fly fishing and you called me over to untangle your line from the bushes on the other side of the stream. Thanks for all the car rides around Robin Hood's barn, as both you and Mom had a love for travel that has seeped into me and I am always looking forward to the next road trip. Thanks for teaching me how to play the recorder and for all the duets we had, including when I played the piano and you played the recorder. I loved spending moments with you - helping you mow the lawn or trim the bushes or clean out the fish ponds. Although I didn't have a love for physics or history or law, you still engaged in conversations with me about things I liked. Thanks for trusting me with your car - in both my teenager and college years. Thanks for handing me my high school diploma during graduation (since you were on the school board). Many thanks for helping me pay off some debts I occurred as a single parent. Although there were times when I found it hard to approach you, I always felt better afterwards. Thanks for loving me unconditionally. I will always remember those nights when you showed us how to look through the telescope to see the craters on the moon or to look at Jupiter, Mars or Venus. Both you and Mom taught me many things about life, how to work hard, and to love others. I will always miss you both!