I don't like the fact my mom missed seeing my kids grow up into wonderful adults. She was very close to them, despite the distance. I am glad they spent a lot of time together when they were very young, and we lived in AZ and my parents were in San Diego.
On the other hand, my mom has been gone for almost 20 years. She was way too young to die, but she had been sick for awhile, which kind of prepared me. Sometimes I think there's something wrong with me, in that I don't really "miss" her, in the way most people describe. We had a good relationship and she was a good parent. But, I've been on my own since age 17, with only 3 years living in the same town since then. When I think of my mom, it's always in a good way, like what she would think of a particular thing, or i can hear her laughing about something. It is exactly what she would have wanted; she would not have wanted crying and sadness. I do find myself missing my phone conversations with my dad, who died in September, despite the fact we had never been that close. On a good note, his death has brought me closer with my brother, and I talk to him pretty often now.