Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Out of Bounds: Pivotal Moments in our Lives
Veronica in The Dare, Jacob in The Noose, and Lily in One Day, Lily, One Day all experienced dramatic events that shaped their lives and changed them forever. All of us have also experienced events that forced us to see the world differently and changed us forever. Please write about such a time in your own life. In most cases, these will be rather emotional , difficult events, but the changes they caused in our lives have helped mold us into the people we are today.
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This summer I began working on projects with my NCL chapter. I was trying to get my hours done before my life became hectic with school,sports,family, and friends. My mom signed me up to do Meals on Wheels which is where you deliver meals to people who aren't able to get them for themselves. The addresses where I had to deliver the meals to were located in a really poor part of town. It was shocking to me that we have so much but take it all for granted, while there are people out there who have nothing but still try to make everyday better for themselves and the people around them. It's nice to know that there are people out there who understand how much of a gift life is, and try to be a living example of people who make the best of their situation no matter how hard.
ReplyDeleteI have known my Great Aunt for my entire life I am extremely close to her but she is getting old and I know one day she is not going to remember who I am or she might not even remember my name and have seeing her get older and older and forget more and more things has made me grow up and become a totally different person. It has made me realize that people you love are never going to stay the same person and something bad will happen to you and you are going to have to grow up and you might not want to but you are going to have to if you want to make it through the bad thing that happened to you.
ReplyDeleteThis summer my family and I went up to Wisconsin to visit our family up there. Its my dads side of my family and I love them a lot. We had a blast visiting them we went home and packed straight for Spain. On our way home we were sitting in the airport and my brother was checking facebook and he say a message about sending pictures of my grandma for her memorial. Then we knew. We got home from Spain and left the next day for Wisconsin again. My grandma had died. I was so sad, probably the sadest person in my family. We were really close. I miss her so much and so does all of my family. Now in chapel sometimes we sing some of her favorite songs and it is really hard to listen to.
ReplyDeleteMy grandpa died last year from a disease that slowly killed his muscles and organs. My first memory of him is him pushing me in a wheelbarrow. I also remember seeing him in the hospital and he didn't know my name. It felt terrible when I relized he didn't know who I was. At his funeral, I couldn't attend his ceremonie because I had to watch the little kids. The ceremonie just seemed like a long, boring thing at the time. I really didn't feel anything until after the ceremonie. I felt kind of bad that I didn't really watch his funeral at all. It seemed to me that I was in shock until that moment. Afterwards, I realized that I had to get over it and that somee people you care about wont be there always.
ReplyDeleteMy father worked in New Orleans for about a year. He would take a flight there every Monday morning, live there for the next five days, and return Friday night. His job was to help plan the design of schools that had fallen down during Hurricane Katrina. One Friday, he came home and told us that he would be going to New Orleans for a weekend to see what his job was like. When we went there, we visited the wreck that Hurricane Katrina had caused. We drove down a street in the large, deserted area that the hurricane had hit. I was looking out the window, looking at the fallen, damaged houses. I grew up during that moment when I was looking at the broken houses and envisioning all the families that had lost their possessions. We drove around the area for about thirty minutes, and then left. We drove home the next day. The experience of visiting the wreck from the hurricane made me think differently about how fortunate I was to not be part of such a severe incident.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I found out that I had broken two vertabra in my lower back. From my injury I have not been able to participate in any sports. Sports have ALWAYS been my passion. The lesson that I learned is that sitting down and playing video games, watching tv, ect. is worthless. There is so much in the world that we could be doing that can help the environment, the oceans, and just our world. When I am finally able to run and play sports again, I am going to change the world in some possitive way. I guarintee it.
ReplyDeleteA moment in my life that changed me forever was when my Grandpa died. It was shocking news when I found out, because I was in the airport returning from Catalina Island. I was speechless. Just one week ago, I saw him and he looked just fine. I learned that life is the most precious thing anyone could have. Nothing can compare to it.
ReplyDeleteI remember when the big earthquake hit Haiti. It was shocking to me that all those people were now in danger. It scares me because those people lost their houses and their work places. Some people may have even lost family members. I felt bad for them, and if I had the power to make that not happen I would have, but I didn’t. I just had to stand there and grow up. It was tragic but there was nothing I could do.
ReplyDeleteLast year my brother was in a bad car crash. When my parents told me that he was in a comma I was very sad, shocked, and scared. I was shocked because he was only 17 and was a safe driver. I was scared because we all thought he was going to die. Or lose his memory or never wake again. I was sad because I wouldn't get to see him because he lives in Lebanon also he had broken his hips and I knew he would never be the same again. I just had to pray and hope he got better. Also I had to get over it and move on. That experience helped me mature over the years. (He is now ok now.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about four, my grandma learned that she had a brain tumor, and yes, it was cancer. I didn't really understand it at the time, i just knew that she was getting sick, and loosing all her hair. When she was sick and lying in bed, she would paint me aprons, and sew me blankets. A few months before she died, she had become extremely sick. When she did died, it hit me hard. I really loved spending time with her, and I thought it was cool that she hand made me all those things. I remember going to school, and making a cross out of clay, and then crying because I missed her so much. Now, I really cherish the blankets, and clothes that she made me. I really wish that she was still here with me.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I joined a cristian group called Wild Life. This group helped me learn about how great and amazing God really is. When I was there I met a girl named Mercades. She was a freshmen in highschool at Parish. She told me that she had recently lost a close family member, it was her dad. He had died of a terminal cancer. When I heard this it made me ralize how much I take my dad for granted. My heart just sank. After I heard that every day that I see her at Parish she reminds me about how strong she is inside and out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to Washington D.C. for the summer, I didn't realize the poverty would be so bad there. Even in the suburban area of Mary Land in a condo, you would walk out to the main street, and find jobless people out on there begging for money, or putting on a performance for money. It was sad, because the rich people all turned there noses up on them, and it was the tourists that actually payed them. I realize when we drove around D.C that there were thousands of others like this. I had never see anything as close to bad as this in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I went to Uganda on a mission trip. We tried to help as many people as we could. My mission is to not just help people for a short amount of time, but to help people for a long period of time. While we were there, my brother, Ford, supervised two main acts. The first act we did was collect board games and many other things to set up a learning lab for the EAC kids. The EAC kids are the kids in our organization from ages 6 and up. We help kids that are vulnerable or in need through school and to success. We also take them on a musical tour around the U.S. every two years. The kids go to boarding school during the week and we pick them up at the end of the week to train for the tour. We raised around 7,000 dollars and spent some of that on the learning lab. We also got computers and a T.V. for them. The second act my brother supervised was moving Sharon’s mom (a girl in the organization) to a new and safer home. She lived in a three by three meter home and lived next to a bar, and that is dangerous, we moved her to a much nicer home and spent the rest of the money on furniture to go inside the home that was twice as big and much safer. We also paid her rent for a year. This trip made me realize how fortunate we really are. I also saw a lot of poverty there on the streets. That made a huge impact on my life.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was only two years old, my parents got a divorce. I don't remember it, which is good. In fact I never even remember having only one family, but on the other side, there is a lot of ups to having divorced parents. For instance, you have more people in your life who care for you. Also, you get two christmas' and two birthdays. One of my favorite ups about having divorced parents, is all the siblings you get. I have five in all, three brothers and two twin sisters. The sibling that I am most close to is Ryan, my seven year old brother. Ryan is the offspring of my mom and step dad. My other siblings names are Grayson, Lionel, Jill, and Shannon, they are all older than me. Anyways, when ever I think about it, I try to think how in the long run, it will make me a stronger person individually.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was four i was told my parents were divorced. Of course i didn't know what it ment. I only remember there being a lot of crying and me being very confused. There is one thing I think about a lot. It is me, and it is really late at night. I am sitting on the outside of my mom and dad's door. I am balling my eyes out. I am banging my head on the door because i can hear them fighting. That is pretty much the only memory i can remember. This has changed me as a person in unbeleivable amounts. For firsts, i have two houses that i have to go back and forth to. It is hard sometimes because if i forget something i need, i cant get it and i have to accept the consiquences. I also have about fifteen different families. Ok, maybe that is an exaduration. I have four different families. I also have a step-mom, a step-dad,and five step-sisters. This has changed me in a tremendous way but i think it has helped. It has made me a stronger tough-skinned girl. I have learned how to deal with things that not many people have to deal with. So in the end, it has effected me tremendously but in a good way.
ReplyDeleteLast May my grandfather had a stroke. He was in the ICU for 10 days. I was so scared he was going to die. He is my only Grandfather. I couldn't stop thinking about all the wonderful times we had shared together. I was so afaid that I would never see him again. He is now out of the hospital but he still cannot drive and he sleeps most of the time. He also has a hard time remembering things. He is not the same Grandfather I knew before. I now realize how much I enjoyed spending time with my grandparents and how quickly things change and it shows that everyday is a gift.
ReplyDeleteAround Christmas time when I was younger, my family and I would do a give and greet with families during the holiday season, who did not have the money to buy food, presents, and complete their children's wish lists. Our family would call them on the phone and talk to the parents. We would then go to the store and satisfy their needs and wants. Later that month we would go to wherever this family lived and distribute the presents. I remember walking in with these things and seeing the smile on the kids faces. The family was so thrilled to see how much people thought about them and their lives. This should make us realize that their are people out their who aren't fortunate enough to celebrate like we do. It has definitely shaped the person who I am today by being in the lives of others. We should always appreciate what we have, and then think about others who struggle with everyday needs.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother had a brain disease that caused brain tumors and seizures. She had this problem for decades. Before I was born my grandmother was told she was going to die. She even designed her own gravestone. She was hospitalized many times. She usually could not remember names especially my name and Abigail's name because we look so much alike. Even though we don't look much like our aunt she would always call both of us by our aunt's name or each other's name. She was eventually put into a rehabilitation center because she was supposed to die very soon. I remember the day she died very well. The doctors highly doubted that she would make it through the day. They were right. But, she lived 15 years after they first told her she was going to die. She fought for her life, something most of us take for granted. This changed my life because I was only in the fourth grade and hadn't experienced the death of a close relative before. She was always kind and generous even if she didn't really know who she was talking to. This taught me to always be nice to people because it could be the last time you see them and to never take life for granted.
ReplyDeleteAbout 3 years ago my grandfather was diagnosed with the early stage of Alzheimer’s. He had been becoming worse and worse for years before but this is when he was officially diagnosed. I don't remember my grandfather without this disease but my mom and grandmother do. I know my grandfather is a smart and nice person but to watch someone you love start to lose their memory it makes you want to cry. You can't do anything and you feel helpless. Some days they are pretty good and acting normal but other days they are so bad that you don’t know what to do. Only his short term memory is disappearing. He constantly is asking us to repeat things and to remind of things that most people think as instinct. It is hard because you know what a good man he is and all you can do is pray and hope that it will be a good day and that his condition will not worsen. This disease my grandfather has, has taught me that life is not fair. He is the kindest, sweetest, smartest person I know and it's not fair for this awful and terrible thing to happen to such a good person. It is hard and stressful to watch this happen to someone you truly care about, but I have to appreciate what he is now not what could happen to him in the future. There is no reason to worry over things that have not happened yet.
ReplyDeleteThis past summer my mom told me that my uncle had passed. I was torn to pieces. When I found out he died not a single tear dropped. As I thought more about him that's when I started to cry. My dads brother died of a heart attack. A couple years before that his other brother died of a heart attack to. My uncle was really cool he rode horses. Before he had his heart attack we went to visit him and my grandma he promised my brother and me that he would take us to ride horses the next time we got to visit him. We never got to. I think about him a lot, before he died my dad got to spend quality time with him. I wasn't able to attend his funeral. I think about not being able to say good bye. That just makes me remember the good times we had together. We will always love him.
ReplyDeleteIn 2007 my sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she was only 24 yrs. old. It was hard watching her go through her sessions of chemo knowing that she was in pain. My whole family had to watch her in pain also. We all were crushed and heartbroken that she couldn't even ride a plane to se her fiance in Detroit without getting sick. Because her fiance was working on the rode he would always fly to here in Dallas to see her even though sometimes only for an hour. I would always find either her, my mom, or even me crying from the hurt and tragedy we were going through. One morning in her early stages of having cancer she woke up with most of her hair right in front of her eyes from it falling out in her sleep without no one even noticing. She was heart torn and sad that she had to either wear a scarf or a hat just to take the trash out.
ReplyDeleteIn early 2009 my sister's doctor told my sister that all of her cancer was gone and we were relieved and happy. All of our prayers had worked! She was finally cleared and she hadn't even finished all of her sessions of chemo! AS soon as she found out she was so excited to fly to Detroit and see her husband! Se is now a wife living in Michigan with her husband and their dog Kane.
In the fall of 5th grade, my mother was out of town in california, my dad was at home with my sister and I. While I was still at home, my dad went to go pick up my sister from volleyball when he started to limp and slur his words. He didn't realize at that moment that something was wrong, but i got a frantic call from my sister telling me to make sure my dad got safely home and maybe put in bed. After making several calls, my sister was brought home and by close family friends, my dad was taken to the hospital. My mom had to take an early flight home from california and be taken to the hospital to see my dad. Not even within 5 hours, we found out my father had had a stroke, and it was too late to reverse it. After 3 frantic weeks in ISU, my dad began to become almost audible in speaking his words. As he began to write again, the letters would start regular sized letters, to barely legible, looking just like dots. He would never be able to play his favorite sports again, he barley could throw a football, I had to re-teach him. This gravely scared my family because we could have lost my father. Luckily, he got to the hospital in time, and is now almost fully recovered. You wouldn't know that our family had gone through all of this by just looking at him, you'd have to ask us. It was deeply scary to me because my sister and I were alone and we had to figure out how to get help for our dad. My dad went through a total of 9 weeks at the hospital, 2 months of physical therapy, and 3 surgeries trying to shock his heart back in rhythm. My sister and I now feel older, more responsible, because we had to go through all of this without a guide, or a parent for most of the beginning of this experience. This also makes me more cautious because this could happen to anyone and you can never take anything God has blessed you with for granted because you would never know what could happen to you. My dad had almost lost all of his movement on the left side forever, but he luckily fought against the stroke and now he has all of his movement back. I'm grateful for this, and I'm a stronger person now.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in second grade, my family and I went down to Austin Street Shelter to serve breakfast to the homeless. This was on New Years Day at five in the morning. I was responsible for passing out apples. What I remember about that day, is when I offered the homeless people apples, they turned them down because their teeth were in bad condition or they had no teeth. I realized at that moment how lucky I am to have good dental care and money to pay for dental care. I am very thankful for being able to eat what I want to eat, and go to the dentist. Thanks to my parents this is all possible.
ReplyDeleteLast year, I learned something about my mom that I'd never known. My mom had been previously married before my dad and had gone 11 years without telling me and 14 without telling my sister. My sister needed to borrow my mom's old college book for an english class and on the first page it said "Wendy [previous last name]." She asked my mom who that was and my mom replied that it was a friend of hers in college and that she forgot to return the book. A day later she called my sister and I into the room and she was crying, and she told us that she had lied to my sister and had been married before. This made me realize that there really are some things that parents wait to tell you when they think you're old enough to hear it. I now know that they will tell you when you're ready, just like Jacob in "The Noose."
ReplyDeleteI am in a group called in Nation Charity League(NCL). In NCL we volunteer at charities. Recently we went to Brother Bills and wrapped presents for kids. The kids got books, toys, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. The people that worked at Brother Bills said that on Christmas Eve about 900 kids from just born to 14 come and get presents to open in the morning. It made me realize that I take so much for granted. Some kids don't get to go to a great school like me or don't have a nice house to live in. Volunteering has made me the person I am today.
ReplyDeleteIn the past few years, my grandmother had started to get sick, and seemed to be getting injured a lot. I visited her and my grandpa over Thanksgiving break, and it was really hard to watch her in all of the pain she was in. She has a lot of trouble moving around, and she was normally sitting down. Seeing her like this made me realize that life isn't always easy. There will be ups and downs, but you just have to live through it. I also realized that no matter what position you are in, you really have to live life to the fullest. My grandmother is an awesome role model and I admire her for never giving up and staying strong. I am very proud to say that this amazing woman is my grandmother.
ReplyDeleteRight now all of my grandmothers are having trouble with their health. One has a leg problem, one has a heart problem, and one has cancer. My grandmother with the leg problem has trouble walking especially up stairs. My grandmother with the heart problem has gone to the hospital many times in the past few years, and she has had many surgeries. My grandmother with cancer with cancer has gone to many chemo therapies, but she is still struggling. I've recently seen two of them, but my grandmother with the heart problem lives in Florida so I can't see her that much. This is really hard because I don't know how much longer I will have them around, and I dread that one day in the future when I find out that they are gone.
ReplyDeleteRight now my great grandfather is 93 and living at my grandparents house. He has began to become very forgetful, like eating, taking his medication, and some people. I don't get to see him very much except when ever I get to go to my grandparents house, which is not very often. This is hard for me, because I know I don't have much time, and I want to spend as much of time as I can with him as I can.
ReplyDeleteI went to Baja CA which is very poor. And when i was walking around on the side walk i saw a lady with 4 or 5 young kids. She was living on the streets. this moment was very disturbing to me. I really wanted to do something but i couldn't.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, my dad lost his job. It happened right before the class trip to Camp Classon. It felt like all the fun I had had the week before had just been whisked away. We had to cut down our budget. We spent as little money as possible which meant that the fun but expensive things like eating at a restaurant we rarely did. This changed our whole family's lives because my sister and I had to stop some of the things that we wanted to do and my mom had to start working. Over the past two years, my family has made a comeback and we're fine now. When you hear something bad that happens, you think that it only happens to other people but what this taught me is that we are just other people to other people.
ReplyDeleteLast summer on our family trip, we were walking on the street to find some cool places to eat. We have seen a number of bad things over the years, but this was far worse than any other. There was a kid, probably about five or six years old, sitting on the street. We assumed he was just tired and was sitting untill he looked up at us. This kid had hair covering his whole face and he was chewing a banana peel that looked like it was 2 days rotten. This made me want to help the abandoned or the hungry get food and to help other people. This also helped me realize not to even take the little things, food and water, for granted.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 7, and still lived in New Orleans, I had to suddenly move because of Hurricane Katrina. It was very tragic, and I was very scared. I didn't know what could've happened to me if I had stayed in New Orleans. Luckily, I had a place to evacuate to, so I was safe. But, I felt bad for the people that didn't have a place to evacuate to. They could have been injured or worse, died because of the storm. This experience was very sad and made me think about other people besides myself.
ReplyDeleteI was in Mexico for a family vacation and i had been very tired and arguing with my dad about buying dessert or something around that nature. He said no. Then, I realized that the man playing the music (who seemed to be very poor) was now begging for money. I asked my dad if i could give him some and my dad said no since all he had was his credit card. I crouched down in my seat trying to cancel out the music so i didn't have to feel the pain that he felt. Later that evening on the way home we saw little girls selling roses and then i asked my dad the same question. I soon realized what the answer would be. I saw the girls and just thought what if that was me. I cried and cried then that evening had horrible dreams. I realized there was nothing I could do.....
ReplyDeleteThis is my first year at a volunteer group called NCL. Very soon to now I went to a place called Brother Bills and wrapped books for kids in need they will get these books for Christmas. This changed me because while we all live with everything we want some kids cant and that taught me to not ask for as much.
ReplyDeleteI was in third grade when I found out that my sister had type 1 diabetes. I was scared, because I had no clue what diabetes was and what was going to happen to my sister. Ever since, my life has been completely different. I have to watch out for my sister, and when her blood sugar is really low or high, I'm always scared for her. I've learned not to take simple things, like not having a disease, for granted.
ReplyDeleteBefore I was born my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was very lucky and it thankfully went away, after straining treatments. Just a few months ago my aunt was re-diagnosed with cancer. The cancer has now spread through her whole body. Although she is struggling right now, I am praying every day that she will pull through it.
ReplyDeleteIn fourth grade, I had to move to a new school. I disliked the new school and missed my old friends. The kids there did not share the same likes and dislikes as me. I had to stay there for two years until finally my parents agreed to move me back to my old school,Parish. This experience was hard yet educational for me. I learned to notice the good things I have.
ReplyDeleteAn event that really changed my life and forced me to grow up was when my grandmother died. We were very close and when she died I couldn't believe it. I was very sad, but at the same time I also realized that she was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. I had to just get over this fact and move on. This helped me grow as a person.
ReplyDeleteWhen hurricane Ike hit Galveston, it ruined many houses. I had family in Galveston that their homes are now ruined because of it. and i am always conserned about them until they get galveston fixed up again.
ReplyDeleteAround two months ago I was told my Great Uncle Kevin was very sick. He was given a week to live. Immediatley I did the only thing I know how to when faced in these situations. Pray for a miracle. I had only met my Great Uncle once or twice, but though I barely remember his face, I do remember the feelings of safety and comfort within me when he visited. Soon I recieved suprising news. My Great Uncle had survived the week. A day or so later, I was told he had been brought to his home, and had stopped eating. Thats when it hit me. He was going to die. Even so, I prayed until his last breath a few days later. He passed away peacefully in his home one morning, surrounded by loved ones, with no pain in his passing. I knew god was waching us then, because I could think of no better way to join him. Although this brought a hard hit to me, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, and I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteAbout four years ago, I experienced my first family death. My Great Aunt Polly had been in a nursing home for some time and had suddenly became ill. Not knowing what we should do, my family headed up to Kansas where she lived. Although I had never known her, I still cared for her since she was family. What troubled me the most was seeing how sick she was. When I went to go meet her, she forgot my name instantly and kept thinking I was a girl. Because of her condition and pain, I prayed that if death had to come, that it would overcome her soon enough and peacefully. One of the things that relieved my family's sadness was knowing that she was with God now. What this taught me was to live everyday to its fullest, because life is shorter than we think.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 8 years old, when I was living in St. Louis, my dad was offered a job down here. When I was told that we had to move to Texas, I was really sad because I didnt want to leave all my friends here. I kept trying to persuade my parents not to but we still had to move. After we moved down, I was still very sad the first week, but as the year went on I met new friends and realized that I have to move on. It helped me learn that you just have to take what is given to you.
ReplyDeleteA month ago a family very close to me got divrced. This shocked me because I knew this family very well and they were not fighting when I was around. I am friends with both of their kids and right now they are not sure what to do. They don't know wether to cry or not. This has shocked my family because they were just like us. This has taught me that divorce can happen to anyone.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about seven years old, my grandfather had his first heart attack. It scared my whole family. My mom was devastated the most because she was very afraid she was going to lose her father. I know that I was seven, but I really didn't fully understand what was going on. I didn't really ever see my grandparents except on birthdays and holidays. So, I wasn't as close to him as I probably should have been. After he had survived his first heart attack, the doctor said that he might have a follow up heart attack because he was in critical condition. My mom ended up staying with my grandmother and grandfather for the next couple of nights. When I turned twelve, my grandfather had his second heart attack. I fully understood what was going on then, and was very worried I would loose my grandfather. Those long hours in the waiting room, the worried faces, and all the crying family members, made me think long and hard about what was happening. I thought about the fact that I don't spend enough time with my grandfather, but I also thought about the fact that I could lose him from this. He turned out ok, but I still didn't forget what I thought about that day and night. I learned that most people don't realize what they have until the day it's gone. And that I need to cherish every moment with my grandfather, because I won't ever know when he is going to be gone.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most recent significant things that have happened to me lately are the realization that my grandfather had tumors in his stomach, a family friend had cancer and my great uncle was diagnosed with liver cancer. Even though these are all sad events I make it a point to make a happy memories with them because cancer and tumors are a hard thing to live with. Especially for those in your family or those people who have considered you family since you've know them. Because my great uncle has cancer, liver cancer, one of the cancers that is known for being uncureable I try to remember every moment and spend as much time as I can with those family members. It made me realize I have to cherish those who I love because they won't always be there for me or for the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteLast Summer, my only grandfather passed away. He suffered from a terminal illness called ALS. I was never very close to him until I had spent almost every day of the summer with him. He learned of his disease by fainting while he was on his daily walk around his neighborhood. He fell on a curb and hit his head and his eye. His eye was so badly hit that it had to be removed. Once I had first learned about the incident, I wasn't very concerned because, like I said, I didn't know him very well, and I knew this is what happens to people when they got older and more fragile. After that, he fell 16 more times and was moved into assistant living. Once I went to visit him, he looked like an entirely different person, He had black circles under his eyes. He weighed 50 pounds lighter. He was in a wheel chair. He looked as if he wasn't really there. His eyes looked like glass. But once my mom and I walked through the doors of his room, his mouth opened and said, "Hey girls!", with the biggest smile on his face. That's what I will always remember, his smile. I began visiting more and more and get more and more close to him. He began falling out of his wheelchair more often. He started having trouble sleeping. He was miserable. But his smile was always there to greet me. A few weeks later, his disease had gotten worse. He had a stroke, and he was now in a coma. When my mom told me the news, I was speechless... I knew it was time. One afternoon, he got up from his pillow, reaching out. My family knew it was an angel. Then he went back into a deep sleep. After being in his room 24/7, two days later... he was gone. I cried and cried, but I knew he was happy. I was just so glad he wasn't in pain anymore. Now, I wish I was in his life more, because he was a great man. I never realized how amazing he was... until he was gone.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I went to Galvenston, on a mission trip, with my church. We went for five days; repairing a house and a church. We worked for 7 hours, from 8am to 3pm. We only got one lunch break (a choice of turkey or ham sandwhich) and it was 100-103 degrees outside everyday. When I first heard of these working conditions, I didn't think I would make it. However, I made through it all with little complaining. I never knew I had that much endurence. After that, I have a different look on life. You should be thankful for what you have, and to never take anything for grantid.
ReplyDeletea couple months ago i found out my parents were divorcing and i had to go through a lot emotionally. This really showed that we dont live in a perfect world, but when you fall that you have to get up and keep going.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of all of you who took the time to write your blogs. Your sensitivity amd insight amazed and moved me. It seems that all of you have experienced life changing events already in your young lives. I am proud of your strength and honesty in facing and sharing these difficult times. Congratulations and thank you for sharing such meaningful and personal events. Happy holiday, Ms. Liberman
ReplyDeleteWhen my grandma died, I found out after school one day. I was so sad because afew years before I had lost my great grandmother. I was so sad. I had so many great memories with her and I was really close to my grandma. But, I knew crying wouldn't help(even though I didn't care). So I helped my grandpa, and we helped each other realized that my grandma was in a better place. Every once in a while we go to visit her. We learned that moping around wouldn't help, the only thing we could do was go visit her and believe she was watching over us.
ReplyDeleteOne experiance that made me see life differently happened at my old school. One day at school i was talking to a good friend who told me some news about my other friend.Me not knowing it was not true i decided to tell another friend who ended up telling another friend and so on. When the news got back to the friend, the one who everyone had been talking about, that i was the one who started all of this i soon lost a friend. This made me see life differently becuase i now know that just because one person says its true its not true.
ReplyDeleteI think it was around the middle of September, and my mom had just had her birthday. I was really excited because we were going to go see my grandparents. I thought that we were also going to go see my great grandmother. So when we got there, I gave hugs, smiled, all that. Then I made the mistake of asking when we were going to see my great grandma. all my grandparents and my dad looked at each other. My dad said, sweetie, you're probably not going to see her for a long time. I was confused, thinking she was on a trip. I asked where she went. They answered that she had gone to live in heaven. I was shocked. I don't remember what I said or did after that. All I know is that I cried for hours aftwer that. I didn't eat anything for days. My whole life had changed. I hadn't ever had any family member die before that. I never felt the same way about family again. I learned to love them while they were here.
ReplyDeleteLast year, each advisory went to help at the Austin Street Shelter to serve food to them. It was refreshing to see all the faces so delighted to see young people like us trying to make a change and help others. It really inspired me too see all of these faces that had been and are still in troubled times looking and smiling back at me. I felt very reassured that God was looking out on each and every one of us to help all of us live each day to the fullest, no matter what condition we are in. I think that Parish did a great deed sending all of the 6th graders there to make an impact on how lucky we are to even be able to have food effortlessly everyday. This impacted me because I was shocked to see all these people with troubles with smiles on their faces. One said to me. "You are a great child. God smiles upon you. God Bless." and that made me so happy to think that these people were so greatful for what we were doing.
ReplyDeleteA life changing event for me was when I was diagnosed with Star Guards an eye disease. When I first found out I had a disease it was really tough for me. Just the idea that I had a disease was really weird for me. This has made playing sports, seeing who us upfront of me and reading harder for me. It has been one year since I have had it and I am doing great!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was seven years old I came home from school and found out that my friend had died. No one knows how he died because everyone in his house also died. This was a tough time in my life that I had to go through. I learned that life is short and you have to use every second of your life.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago I had a very emotional time. At dinner my dad said we had a meeting. He told the boys that our grandmother was not doing so well and that she would probably pass away soon. So we prayed for her. Then, we got up but my dad said to wait.
ReplyDelete"There's one more thing," he said."This might be kind of hard for you T.C. since you've been here for the longest, but I am expecting a call from a school in Texas to become their new Head of School. If I get accepted, we will be moving to Dallas."
This hit me very hard. As my brothers were like "Cool" and "I've always wanted to see Texas. I've heard Dallas is huge!" I sulked to my room and cried.
The rest is history. I'm here. My Grandma died the next morning.
When I was eight years old, I visited Pakistan over the summer. While I was visiting, I saw many people on the streets begging for food, trying to get enough money to buy one meal for the day.It was scary for an eight year old to witness that the world we live in is not always fair. While we are blessed to be able to go to a good school and come home to a nice meal everyday, there are many unfortunate kids that have the same talents and interests as us but cannot have a meal or get an education everyday. That experience helped me realize how much all of us have, and how much we should be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the sixth grade, I was bullied. The kid that bulllied me was an eight grader that bullied other people for fun because he thought he was cool. When the high school head coach let the sixth graders play with seventh grader, I got to play wiht the seventh graders. We practiced every morning before school. One day I had tackeled the bullly in the backfield and he was mad that I had did that so he came to to me while i was getting ready for schoool, that if I didn't hit a specific kid in the private that he would do it to me and he would do it reallly hard so that I coudln't have kids. So before chapel I went over to the kid that the bully told me to hit. I went up to the kid and punched him in the private. He went and told the teacher and I got in trouble for a bully doing something to me. I was scared to telll the principle because he told me not to telll anyone that he made me do it. So I finallly spoke and told my mom about what haapppened and he got in big trouble for what he did.
ReplyDeleteThere was a girl at an old school I went to that was always mean to me. Whenever I told a teacher that she was being me to me she would do something worse and continue. I finally didn't tell anyone for a while. The worst part was that my mom liked her and her mom. This was increadibly hard. I finally made her stop, but it was hard and made me realize how mean people could be and get away with it.
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