I have received numerous submissions for this Internet/book project, and it is my sincere hope that I will receive hundreds, or even thousands more. "I Never Got to Say..." submissions have been divided into categories (i.e. "Handwritten Entries," "To Parents...," "To Extended Family...," etc.) which are located on a links list on the left.

Entries are still being accepted. Your submissions can be made anonymously or you can include your name. Please note that if you send your submission to me via private e-mail, Facebook or Twitter message, you need to specify whether or not you would like your name to be attached. However, I will include the author's name on submissions made publicly via blog, Facebook, or Twitter comments Submissions can be handwritten or typed if mailed to me. Entries can vary in length, however I reserve the right to take excerpts from them.

I encourage you to take part in this Internet/book project. Working on this project has helped me channel my grief over my mother's passing into something positive. I hope that writing your "I Never Got to Say..." messages will bring you the same peace.

-Kimberly Back

To Extended Family...

Dear cousin,
I never got to say you were the best cousin and person in my life. You taught me everything I know; how to play basketball, football, hunt, fish. I never got to thank you for showing me how to be the best person in the world. I was the happiest kid in the world when you helped me make my first shot in basketball. When you helped me with school work I felt great. I enjoyed your company. You were like my brother instead of my cousin.
-Anonymous


Dear Uncle,
What I would like to say is that I love you. You are the most amazing person I know. You make me laugh when I am about to cry, and you make me smile when I am sad. I will never forget the times we shared in your garden, picking weeds, and watering your green beans. I will never forget the Halloween's we shared. I would come to your house, and you would give me the whole bucket of candy, when you were supposed to give it to the other kids. It never failed that when I needed you, you were always there for me. I'm really going to miss you and the fun we shared. You were my best friend and I will never forget you. Thank you for always being there for me. I will always have those memories to remember.
Sincerely,
-Anonymous


Dear Unborn Niece,
I would have never thought I would love someone so much even before I met them. I don't know why God took you away so early, but he did. I wish I could have gotten to see your face, and tell you how much I love you. You were so loved; everyone in our family loved you.

I would have loved to watch you grow and teach you how to say your ABC's or numbers like your mom taught me. We all miss you so much. You were going to be a beautiful baby girl. I wish I could have gone to buy you little dresses and dolls.

I can't wait to hold you one day and kiss you, and tell you how much I love you. You have a sister now; she is beautiful. Every time I see her, I think of you and think about how we never got to meet. We will one day in heaven though. Baby girl, I love you so much!
Love,
Your Aunt


Dear Cousin,
If I could turn back time I would make sure that I told you everything I never got to say. I would tell you that although you were only nineteen, you inspired many. I would say that you were more than a cousin, you were my friend. I saw you as an older brother; you were so over-protective.

When I think of you I always go back to when I was twelve. You had just gotten your first car and I was the first to ride with you. I was always the happiest when I was with you. I remember at Christmas you were like a child.

I would tell you that you were too young to die. You were what held our family together. And, I would say: there's not a day that goes by I don't think about how much I miss you. I would tell you that I love you one-hundred times. But that still wouldn't be enough...I love you and miss you.
Love,
Your Cousin


Dear Uncle,
I wish I had the chance to tell you that you are my hero. Your strength and bravery keeps me going everyday. I wish that I had spent more time with you and I want you to know that because of you, I'm not scared anymore. Even though we didn't spend much time together, you always made me smile. I never got to say "thank you" for giving me someone to look up to.
Love,
Your Niece


Dear Uncle Al,
I never got to thank you for everything you have done for my family. I hear stories all the time about how you helped my dad through his childhood. Now my dad is helping me grow up, and though I never saw you much, he reminds me of you all of the time. Having grown considerably since I saw you last, I finally have reached the maturity to truly appreciate what you have done. You would be proud to see me now. I may not be as outdoorsy as you, but I still appreciate nature. I knew you always liked nature. My father and I have learned so many lessons from you. My biggest regret is that I wasn't grown enough to really appreciate your company. My father and I both miss you very much.
Sincerely,

----- ----


Dear Uncle,
I never got to say that I love you. I miss hearing your deep voice. I'm glad that you had a strong relationship with God and you always put your problems and sickness in his hands. Everybody still talks about you singing your favorite song, "The Lighthouse," at church. They also talk about how faithful you were. You were a great influence to our family. I wish I would have gotten to be around you more while you were sick but it hurt me to know that you were suffering. It seems odd to go to your house and see your John Deere collection and your lighthouses. You are greatly missed and there isn't a day that goes by that I do not think about you.
-Anonymous


Dear Uncle,
Before you passed away we had our good days, but we also had a handful of bad days too. On those bad days we would have some hateful disagreements and sometimes we would remain bitter. I just want to say that I am very sorry for those things. If I would have known then what I do now, I would take the words back in a heartbeat and never have a second thought. You never really realize how much you love and miss someone until they are gone forever and it's too late to express your true feelings.
Sincerely,
Your nephew


Dear sweet aunt,
I have missed you so much. I think about you all the time and I wish you were here so I could tell you how much I love you. I want to be able to hug you and kiss you; I wish I were able to touch you. You left my life too soon and it's just not fair. You didn't deserve to die; you were so kind to everybody. I would do anything to get to see you just one more time. You have taught me that life is too short and you should tell people you love, that you love them.
-Your niece


Dear Cousin,
If I could talk to you one more time I would say that I loved you and that I didn't really mean it when I said I hated you. I would tell you that you were my favorite cousin and that I should have been nicer to you whenever we argued. I wish I could have spent more time with you more recently. I greatly regret that we stopped hanging out over the summer. I would also like to tell you that the time we spent at the lake was some of the best memories of my life and I will never forget them. And I would want you to know that no matter what I will never forget you. I love you and I'll always miss you, man.
-Anonymous


Dear Uncle,
I am sorry that I never knew you when you were alive. I grew up surrounded by the detritus of your life knowing we would have been friends, given the chance.
With respect,
Your Nephew