July 15, 2017, my brothers 18th birthday. We knew something tragic was coming but did
not know when... Throughout life, we as humans face adversity on a day-to-day basis. It could be from the biggest things like death or the littlest things like getting up early in the morning. Over the years, I have dealt with difficulties and adversity and have learned how to deal with them. A lesson in my life that I have learned from was the loss of my Grammy.
My Grammy, like any other grandmother, loved and cherished all her grandchildren. She was a loving and generous soul and whenever you needed someone, she was always there by your side. When I was little, my grammy had a stroke that caused her whole left side of her body to be paralyzed. At the time, Doctors had said she wouldn't make it but my grammy was a fighter and made it through. As the years went on, I became immune to her being paralyzed and never thought anything of it. Freshman year, my grammy had moved in with us because she had lost her home in bellflower. During those 6 months I started to hold a grudge against her because she was occupying my room and caused me and my brother to share a room, causing us to get into several fights over the situation. With my grammy living with us, it caused a lot of drama between me and my brother, my parents, and my dad and his brothers. Later on that year, she and my uncle had moved in together in Fontana. One day I was in a bad mood and had to take my grammy to her apatarment. When we got there, I was so mad that I just said by in the car and did
not bother to take her up to her apartment and say goodbye there. On June 29, 2017 I was about
to go to sleep as I had just completed an all nighter. It was about 9:00 am and I had started to
doze off, when all of a sudden I was awoken by my mom coming home early. I knew something
was wrong because my mom never comes home early from work, let alone miss a day. My mom
came into my room asking me if I wanted to go to the hospital with her and my brother because
my Grammy had just had her 2nd stroke. I didn’t know how to feel about it, but because I was
tired, I made the wrong decision of not going. As they were leaving I said a quick prayer to God
to just protect our family and keep us uplifted. For two weeks my Grammy was in a coma and on
life support. After a week and a half, my dad and his brothers decided to take her off of life
support and the feeding tube. On July 15, 2017 we had received a call from my dad saying my
Grammy had passed away. At that point, all I felt was closure. My Grammy didn’t have to suffer
anymore and she was able to live her life in peace and immortality.
In life, as humans we sometimes allow our emotions to take control of our mindsets and make decisions that we are not incoherent of. Why do we make decisions based off of temporary feelings? Why do we allow for our emotions to lead us to a mindset that is not healthy for us or others? Is it because we as humans are not in touch in our emotions or in control of them. Is it because were so caught up in the moment to where we forget to think and make wise decisions instead of possibly making a permentnet one. Sometimes I think back to those days where I could have just walked my grammy up to her apartment and said goodbye not knowing that was going to be my last time seeing her up and functioning. Sometimes I wish I would've just got my tired self up to go to the hospital with my mom when she woke me up. I'm not regretful of my decision. Instead, I'm more grateful because now I'm more in touch with my
In life, as humans we sometimes allow our emotions to take control of our mindsets and make decisions that we are not incoherent of. Why do we make decisions based off of temporary feelings? Why do we allow for our emotions to lead us to a mindset that is not healthy for us or others? Is it because we as humans are not in touch in our emotions or in control of them. Is it because were so caught up in the moment to where we forget to think and make wise decisions instead of possibly making a permentnet one. Sometimes I think back to those days where I could have just walked my grammy up to her apartment and said goodbye not knowing that was going to be my last time seeing her up and functioning. Sometimes I wish I would've just got my tired self up to go to the hospital with my mom when she woke me up. I'm not regretful of my decision. Instead, I'm more grateful because now I'm more in touch with my
emotions and still make decisions off them, but I try to think ahead and think about what will
happen if I make this decision. Now I think about the future when I make choices.
With death comes growth. With me being able to turn a touchy situation into an inspiring experience is something a lot of people aren't able to do. My grammy passing has
allowed me to mature and be more of a go getter. Now that I know I have my guardian angel beside me at all times, I now believe in myself that I can do anything that I put my mind to. The past couple of years have not been easy but it's been a life changing and lesson learning experience. It sucks that sometimes we have to lose our loved ones in order to learn a lesson or to brighten our perspectives of things. But as time goes on we should all prosper and soar and become better individuals, and that was one of the hidden messages behind my grammy passing. I am forever thankful for the time me and her shared together on this earth and I know one day we will meet again. Adversity is something challenging to overcome. But challenges makes us become better individuals and allows for us to gain a new view on things. Sometimes it takes hurtful things to happen in order for us to understand what we might be going through. Challenges is something we all have to deal with and something we are all going to face one day. It's not how you start, it's how you finish.
With death comes growth. With me being able to turn a touchy situation into an inspiring experience is something a lot of people aren't able to do. My grammy passing has
allowed me to mature and be more of a go getter. Now that I know I have my guardian angel beside me at all times, I now believe in myself that I can do anything that I put my mind to. The past couple of years have not been easy but it's been a life changing and lesson learning experience. It sucks that sometimes we have to lose our loved ones in order to learn a lesson or to brighten our perspectives of things. But as time goes on we should all prosper and soar and become better individuals, and that was one of the hidden messages behind my grammy passing. I am forever thankful for the time me and her shared together on this earth and I know one day we will meet again. Adversity is something challenging to overcome. But challenges makes us become better individuals and allows for us to gain a new view on things. Sometimes it takes hurtful things to happen in order for us to understand what we might be going through. Challenges is something we all have to deal with and something we are all going to face one day. It's not how you start, it's how you finish.
Personally, I have been through the same thing with my grandma when she died from cancer. That is how life is nonetheless because we take our loved ones for granted and we do not realize it until it is to late.
ReplyDeleteI really relate this! I lost my grandma also and went through the exact same thing as you. It truly is unfortunate that we never know the last time we will ever see someone. I am glad you were able to learn from this experience. -DO
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, my condolences of what happened. Secondly, thank you for sharing this piece, the question "Why do we make decisions based off of temporary feelings?" is something I think everyone including myself can relate should always ask the question.
ReplyDeleteYour captivating piece made me realize the importance of cherishing your family members and focusing on the good memories with them. You were absolutely right when you stated how it takes a painful experience to fully realize what exactly one is going through.
ReplyDeleteThank you, for sharing such a raw and personal piece. Your take on human nature biased off the uncontrollable events in our life are extremely powerful and moving, it is something everyone can learn and grow from.
ReplyDeleteThis really hit home for me. A while back my brother passed away and i understand what you mean by wishing you had gone and helped your grammy, but with my brother though he was already in the hospital and already on life support, and i knew he wasn't going to be here much longer but i didn't want to believe that so i never really said goodbye to him and hugged him for the last time because i believed to much that he was going to be okay and was selfish to think that things would be back to normal. So i understand your regret for not doing a simple action for someone who meant so much to you. Thank you for sharing such a emotional part of your life.
ReplyDeleteWow. I've never read such a powerful piece of literature before. The fact that you had the braveness to talk about your grandma's passing is super courageous and you knew how to make this piece emotional yet inspirational. Thank you for making such an amazing inspirational piece about cherishing your loved ones and that ones passing will make us angry, sad, and mad but it is all temporary and it is a learning experience.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I've gone through a similar situation so I'm glad to hear that you've pushed through the bad times. It's so important to be mindful to everyone you come across, especially in the society we live in today.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really beautiful piece. I loved how you questioned emotions and their play on your health, even if it caused negative effects. Your perspective on death as a way to reflect and grow is also really mature and beautifully displayed in your writint
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this personal piece, I know writing and sharing things so personal can be difficult. I give you my condolences for your loss. I understand what it feels like to lose your grandmother, especially when they are so close to you. If I've learned anything from loss, it is that loss makes you stronger and knowing your loved one isn't in pain anymore will always bring you peace. Thank you for sharing this personal piece and I especially liked the line, " With death comes growth".
ReplyDeleteAs you said in your story, not many people are able to take such a personal account from their lives and share it with others, and yet that's exactly what you did. The way you openly admitted how you made mistakes but didn't regret anything because it taught you a lesson in learning to be aware of the decisions you make really stood out to me. If anything this piece has shown me just how much I need to open my eyes and take advantage of the opportunities that I am still fortunate enough to have with my loved ones. Your thorough description on the events that transpired and how you truly felt about them really resonated with me because it wasn't a bad thing it was just another part of being human. Thank you for sharing such a personal part of your life.
ReplyDeleteI truly admire that you're able to be so open about a very personal situation and struggle. The whole time I read this, I was thinking about my grandmother too and how I'll feel when she passes. This is a good reminder that life really is short and that we need to have times to step back from our busy lives and really appreciate the beauty and blessings in front of us that are so often overlooked. Very touching piece and great imagery. -Arianna Santos
ReplyDeleteThis piece really opened my eyes to the reality that with death does come growth. You made this writing very relatable and connective to something everyone goes through. However, I haven't experienced a death that has made me change my perspectives, but it's the thought of death of a loved one that keeps me going and achieve better for my family and I.
ReplyDelete-Dejanae Perry
For me, I felt truly connected with you and what you went through. Generally because I went through something quite similar with one of my uncles who just recently past away. The whole situation and concept of death really brings you to the state of reality and see some things that you just shouldn't take for granted. I admire you for being so open and sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved about this piece was your use of a significant part of your past to offer profound insight and advice. This demonstrated both your emotional tenacity and your ability to take lessons from even the most difficult of experiences.
ReplyDelete- Andrew Kim
From knowing you, I never would of known what you went through. I picked it because it was very touching to my heart as in i came to a realization. We go on in life making choices that could not only effect us physically but mentally. I feel more grateful from reading it. Through a personal experience i can relate to your situation. Like you said the regret is gonna be there and i don't think it's an excuse for us being human and the choices we make that effect the people around us. You showed me that sometimes my actions aren't always what i might perceive as being thoughtful or good. I'm truly sorry for what you had went through. As like you said you learned from your mistake that helps you grow, that's all people want is to see you fail and cry but your growth and you feeling satisfied with your choices, is on you and how your able to see yourslf, kinda like looking in a mirror. So thank you for sharing this piece!!!
ReplyDeleteThis piece is touches me because of how similar it is to a situation I went through with my own grandma rest her soul and I too felt that relief when she passed on because she was no longer in pain or suffering. I like how you mention that after death comes growth which is beautiful because after all the grief comes the self reflection that makes you stronger and able to not move on but be at peace with death in a way.- Chris C P.4
ReplyDeleteFor one, you have amazing writing skills and to express yourself in such a vulnerable state takes a lot for a person to do, and I admire you for that. Plus I have gone through something very similar when my grandpa had a stroke my freshman year, which was very hard since he was so far away. You continue to push through as an amazing person and I can see that through your writing, from this writing you are going to inspire many that choose to read it. Even when you stated about your grandmother passing you didn't let it take you down but build you up, and we need more writers that can do that for others.
ReplyDeleteAlec I think it is amazing that you even felt comfortable sharing such a personal piece of your life with us. While reading this I began to relate it to my grandmother's passing. Your piece of work shows your strength as an individual and your spiritual connection with God. I respected the fact that you still prayed over your family's well being even though you were physically drained from staying up all night. I love your work this really made my day. -Taja Moore Per.5
ReplyDeleteYou portrayed the relatable, dreadful waiting period when a loved one gets sick to the end very accurately. I lost my grandpa in February after months of sickness. The topic was heavy, but the piece was well-written because it came from the heart. Writing can help relieve leftover negative feelings so I hope it helped you to write this.
ReplyDelete-Marisa Johnson
Especially now, most people tend to focus on the negatives and leave themselves in that pit of negative emotions. It's relieving to see something that goes and discusses what happens after the "trying to moving on". It's well-known that everyone has different ways of grieving, but at the end of the day it's all about growing yourself as a person. I wish I had read something like this when my grandpa passed away. The line "It sucks that sometimes we have to lose our loved ones in order to learn a lesson or brighten our perspective of things," took the meaning all the way home.
ReplyDelete- Chloe Bohrer
To start off, I would like to thank you for sharing such a personal story that means a lot to you. It was very touching and I feel like many people can learn from your story and have a more positive outlook on life. More importantly, this piece is very relevant in today's society because I feel like many people our age take life and their loved ones for granted. I feel that sometimes we get distracted by things that aren't as important and we lost connection with what really is. - Lauren Valencia
ReplyDeleteIn this time, many people spend more times on their devices instead of with the people around them, and you really used your time well with everything including your grandma. I was able to relate to this because my great-grandpa passed away when I was 14, but I didn't get to see him since I was 9.
ReplyDeleteI truly admire your bravery in sharing such a tragic chapter of your life. Thankfully I have not experienced the pain of losing a loved one but was able to understand greatly by how much detail you applied to your writing. It's eye opening hearing someone else's input on how they grew from their own hardships. Although different, we all eventually learn a valuable lesson one way or another in a jarring situation.
ReplyDeleteFor your loss i apologize, though this piece stood out to me very much in how to ready ourselves for the future, for the unknown because life flashes in a second. Not everyone understands that and we all need to, so we can enjoy life and what it gives us. The way you structured this piece was good and you did in excellent job in the opinion of mine.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that you are capable of sharing such a personal story. I can relate to this because i too have lost my grandmother, I know the pain that goes with that. Despite that we should live life to the fullest and treat every moment with our loved ones like it's our last.
ReplyDeleteNow in society, we as people revolve our lives around our devices and technology so much that we don't stop to acknowledge the people around us. So within this piece relating it to the loss of your grandma, I understand how much detail you put into your work and is very admiring.
ReplyDeleteYou are so brave for going in depth with your emotions during this hard time in your life. Though I have not gone through this situation before, I can connect to all the emotions and thoughts you shared in the passage. Well done on using emotion and detailed imagery to help make a connection to the readers.
ReplyDeleteThe ideal these revolving around the ' taking' of a life places a different, more hopeful tone throughout your piece. How you handle and view the passing of a family member clearly didn't revolve around consistent sadness and also was handles very maturely for readers who may lack that type of maturity.
ReplyDelete