Growing up, I had everything a child could have wanted or hoped for. My family was the greatest, not to mention the most absolutely spontaneous and crazy people you could ever meet. We were one of those families that caused a stir wherever we went. We were loud, obnoxious, and completely crazy, and I loved every second of it. One of my fondest memories was that every summer we rented a house in Avalon and my mother's whole side of the family fell apart; Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, whatever and we were all there. My mother's youngest brother, my Uncle Rich, always made everything we did ten times better and ten times more fun. He was one of us, a child at heart. Whenever my mother said no to something, it was always him who said: go ahead, Noelle, I'll cover for you and then I'll make it up to you. We would play for hours and hours just the two of us and I felt like I was on top of the world every time. When I was with him, I had no worries, and my biggest problem was knowing when we could start again. But even that wasn't a problem because I saw him all the time since my family was always together. We would go to my grandparents' house almost every Sunday for a family dinner and as usual, while all the adults were inside talking, he would be outside with us fishing, shooting hoops or talking to us. tell one of his famous stories. We would beg him to take us to the park that was a few blocks from my grandparents and he would take us every time with a smile. He loved being with us and giving us everything we wanted. My favorite thing in the world was the adventures he always took us on. We would go on hikes through the woods and get lost almost every time, then my mom and aunt would come pick us up in the middle of a paper......and when things seemed to be at their worst, I will remember that smile. There are no words anyone can use to ease the pain and anger I feel in my soul. Knowing that my Uncle Rich is in heaven and smiling at me offers some small consolation as I try to pick up the pieces of my life and make sense of this senseless tragedy. I will always miss him; I miss him more and more every day. It's a challenge to live without him. But if I only remember one thing for the rest of my life, so be it, you have to live like you're going to die tomorrow and learn like you're going to live forever. Time is a companion that accompanies us on our journeys. It reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind isn't as important as how we lived, and that's exactly what my Uncle Rich taught me to live for..