We are leaving a couple of hours to go visit so I'll see you and Aunt Betty very soon.

I was thinking about you and how you fit into the family.  It occured to me that although I never met your brother, I imagine he was much like you; affable, caring, a huge heart, and someone that stood out for his overtly loving character.  Even today, more than four decades after he passed, the family still talks about good ol' Johnny.  My mom still cries every now and then about him, I know.  She wishes she could have had her dad around to teach her to drive, guide her through womanhood, and give her away when she married dad.

Instead, she had Uncle David there, and I must thank you.

That sort of makes you like my grandpa.  My mom became an amazing woman because of you.  As a result of her love that she learned from you, I have an amazing mom that loves just as much, and made me who I am today.  I owe a lot of that to you.

By this time tomorrow, you'll probably be seeing Johnny, and I think he'll thank you too.