Prompt: Describe a person or experience that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence

My Grandfather

My grandfather always told me that there was nothing to fear but fear itself. He lived as a beacon for those in need. He pushed me to be the mostsuperlative I could be. What was I to do the summer I lost him?

Before his passing into his eternal resting place, I saw my grandpa as someone who would forever be with me. It was my junior year and I was a cheerleader for my school. I worked really hard at it, and found it to be fun and exigent. I was also part of my school's Kids in the Kitchen program, which helped to make food available to disadvantaged people in my community. Cheerleading and volunteer work kept me very busy. Perhaps, too busy. I spent approximately twenty hours each week cheering and another five hours volunteering. I learned a lot from this experience and can now manage my time effectively and maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity. However, I also realized later that the time I spent away from my grandfather I can never get back.

Although all the wishing to change the past does me no good. What I did in this situation, as I do in all, is walk away learning a new life lesson. I know now that every moment counts. Every person in one’s life is disposable and may not be around the next day. One needs to live every moment like its their last and appreciate every person completely. I must not feel sorrowful about the loss of my grandfather; instead, I must revel in the memories I had with him and continue to strive to be like him in every way.

Additionally, I have come to understand death in a way few others my age can. I fathom now that from an early age, we accept death as the inevitable, but do not comprehend its actual denotation. Death is the impending future that all people must eventually grasp. I wish with all my heart that my early teens my grandfather had not tragically perished. As a youth who did not identify with such a cataclysm, I was saturated with various emotions. Initially, I was grieved by the loss of a loved one and could not understand why this calamity had to befall upon my family. I always considered death to have a devastating effect, but was shocked by the emotional strain it places upon an individual. However, as death is undeniable, one must triumph and place memories and ever enduring love above all.

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