I remember that night just like it was yesterday.

Everything was going great, until there was a knock on the door. I was in my room doing my homework, so my mom went to the door to answer it.

After a few minutes, I could hear my mom crying. There were two policemen standing in my doorway telling my mom a nightmare that would stay with her for the rest of her life. I remember coming out of my room to see what was going on. Then my mother told me.

Everything suddenly went into slow motion. I fell to the floor in shock from what I had heard my mom say. My heart went down to the pit of my stomach, my worst fears had come true.

I never really realized how much he meant to me until the day that I lost him. I can still hear my mom say the words "he was in a bad car accident and he didn't make it" over and over again inside my head. This was the first time that I had really lost somebody that was close to me. The day my cousin was in a car accident changed my life and my family's life forever.

Before he died, I never really told him how much I cared about him. Now everyday I wish that I had. I always wonder every night before I go to sleep if he really knew how I felt about him. I remember every Christmas and birthday party we had, all of us (my cousins and I) would get together and make a play to perform in front of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. No matter what was going on or where we were, we would always find the time to be together. We would always talk for hours about nothing and still have a great time.

Even though there was six years in between my cousin and me, we had a very close relationship. This terrible experience has brought my family even closer together than we were before. The worst thing about it is we had to go through this terrible nightmare to become closer. I don't know how I could have ever gotten through this loss without the love of my family to help me get through it.

My cousin has taught me a very good lesson in life. It's to love everybody that you meet throughout your life no matter who they are and to live your life to its fullest because you never know when it will end. I loved him very much and I know that he loved me too.