The Importance of Family

For my whole life, my grandma was by my side whether it was cooking with me after school or watching TV with me while my parents were at work every day. She stood by me through infancy, adolescence, and sadly only a bit of my adulthood. I used to be the type of person who took things for granted, and for a long time, I felt as if I overlooked the beautiful relationship that I had with my grandmother. Why did I prioritize watching YouTube or chatting friends over a genuine conversation with my grandmother?

Flash forward seven years, and I was working hard applying to colleges, taking the SATs, and doing everything I could to care for my now very sick grandmother. However, I knew that her life was now departing quickly as she was now battling cancer, and it was time to toughen up and correct my past mistakes. Watching my grandmother suffer through agonizing pain through the look in eyes caused me pain as well. However, one day, my maturity clicked. I felt a calling to utilize our strong bond to cure her emotional pain. I knew it was time to stop feeling sorrow, as I needed to lift her up. Every day after school, I visited her bedside, pushed through my own pain, and plastered on a smile for her sake.

Soon after, the day I had been dreading finally came. My father had told me the news that my best friend had passed away. My knees fell to the ground, my chest went numb, and my blurry vision caused me to feel faint. Now, almost two years later, as they say, healing did come with time. I am now a maturing young adult who has learned to cherish my relationships, new and old, no matter the circumstance. It took a long time to reconnect with her new spirited self, but through the beauty of nature and life as a whole, I was able to build a new and reformed connection with her. I have learned to view the little things in my life as a blessing, even when it comes to appreciating each wave of the ocean or taking pictures of every sunset I see. I feel and see her face in the things that I find beautiful and truly believe that my relationship with my grandmother has led me to look at life differently. The journey we had together shaped me to be someone who is constantly thankful for my family. Looking back at those last few days laying beside her hospital bed, I see an immature version of myself, thinking that I would have the power to heal her. Yes, I still have the messages she left on my phone sitting there, and no, I do not plan on deleting them ever. I always believed that maturing was a scary thing, and although adulthood continues to scare me, I am thankful to have the mindset I do today. From my experience with my grandma, my appreciation for the little things in life have flourished, and now do not take any aspect of it for granted.