Dear Nick,                                                                                         

(‘cause that’s what I always liked to imagine your name would be)

 

I would like to tell you how much I love you,                                    

even if you never were my brother.

 

You tell me how much family can mean to us,                                

even if we’ve never seen each other.

 

You tell me how lucky I am to live on this earth,                             

 even if you never did.

 

You tell me how precious a life can be,                                               

even if it’s still unborn.

 

I would like to tell you that we still cherish you in our hearts,        

even if yours never worked.

 

So during our next encounter, when I come to rest in my eternal home, and you meet me at the pearly gates,

 

I will see you standing there, all grown up, with a smiling Mom and Dad as they look in only my oldest memories.

 

And I will hug you and tell you how much I love you,                            

even if it’s the first time we’ve met.

 

And that’s a promise.