An+Ever+Lasting+Memory

An Ever Lasting Memory When I was nine I experienced my first death in my family. My Grandma on my dad’s side had passed away. She was the last member of my dad’s family besides his wife and kids. I was at home, on the computer talking to my friends when my dad called. He had gone up to Charlotte a few days earlier because the nurses said that she might pass away soon. When he called, my mom went into the dinning room and sat in the corner not saying anything. I knew what my dad was telling her, that my grandma’s time was up and she was gone, forever. I didn’t know how to react; whether or not I should be crying or try and not show any emotion. I decided to not talk about it to my family but I did call my friend to tell her what had just happened. My whole family went to Charlotte for the funereal. We first went to the retirement home where she was living in for a long time. My dad was there so we tried to comfort him but I didn’t know how or what to say to him, so I just went to the hall and sat there. When it was time to go to the funeral the feelings of pain finally hit me. I realized that my grandma was truly gone and she wasn’t going to come back. I didn’t really get a chance to know her as well as I could have since I didn’t ask her about her childhood or listen to her stories. When my dad spoke about her at the funeral he talked about her with such pride but yet such sadness in his voice. From what he said about her, you could tell that he was really hurting. He was hurting so much because he had just lost the most important person in his life, his mom. From this, I knew that I was experiencing a feeling of pain. Looking back on this memory, I still am hurting but for different reason then I hurt before. I still am hurting because my grandma is still gone and she isn’t going to come back. I also am hurting also because I feel like I didn’t get to know her as well as I could have. When we were cleaning out her room, I found out that she was crowned homecoming queen and she battled but survived breast cancer. She had also done so many other amazing things in her life that I just found out about her. If I hadn’t experienced her death, I would have taken for granted the time I have with family and friends. I wouldn’t have realized how important family and friendships are to me. This memory has shaped my life because it has showed me that everyone has a story to tell and there is always something new to learn about someone. Now, I take advantage of the time I have with my family especially with my grandpa since he is 90 years old and I know what I am very lucky to have him around today. Not only do I take advantage of the time I have with my family, but I also take advantage of the time I have with my friends. I do this because I never know what can happen and since they are such a big part of my life, I wouldn’t know what I would do without them.