When I was young, I was a typical adolescent girl. I went through the stage where going to my grandparent’s house was so uncool. I remember being such a brat and being so rude to my Grandma Sue who was the kindest and most loving person that I knew. I also remember being just a little girl and playing with her during the summertime in her beautiful garden and watching “The Price is Right” with her. Even though we did all these things, she had health issues. She had hip problems and got sleepy quite often from her medications, but she did whatever she could to make me happy.
I’m sad to say that I wasn’t as good to her as she was to me. When my grandma got sick, I was too young to grasp the concept of cancer. “Just take grandma to the doctor, she’ll be all better,” I would think. It’s true, we don’t appreciate what we’ve got until it’s gone. My Grandma Sue died shortly after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and this is why I believe in family. I believe in not taking my family for granted.
When I think back to the day my grandma died, I still feel all the guilt and shame flood over me as I did that day, all over again. I would give anything now to bring her back so I could treat her how she should have been treated a long time ago. However, I have learned from this mistake, and I always put my family first now. I have learned that no matter what happens, I only have one family, and I need to treasure every moment with them. Even though there’s nothing I can do about my Grandma Sue’s death, I have realized that while my family is still here with me, I’m going to do whatever I can to show them that I care.
I will never take another family member of mine for granted as long as I live. Now, instead of complaining about family visits, I try to arrange them. I’ve realized that my family is my support system, and I feel ashamed just thinking about taking them for granted. I understand now what I should have understood then. I’ll never take my family for granted again. The whole experience of having someone very close to me die has taught me a huge life lesson and this is why I believe in family.