Grief: The Date That Changed My Life

Write a 750-1,000 word paper analyzing Woterstorff’s reflctions in Lament For a Son. In addition, address Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief, as they are expressed throughout Lament for a Son, and respond to the following questions:

In the fall of 2012, my mother almost succumbed to her illness. I had just begun my freshman year of high school midst angry conversations between my parents and the threat of separation. It would seem as if they bickered about the most irrelevant things, almost as if they had no other reason to fight other than the fight itself. Those moments were excruciatingly lonely, my father worked until the dead of night and my mother would come home exhausted from treatment. I now know that there was no one who felt more unvalued than my mother. I wish I had the ability to iron away this blunder that destiny had fabricated, however foolish this desire is.

The stench of death hit my nostrils as I opened the door to go inside, which is why I always hated going to the hospital. We waited the fifteen minute queue, until I heard my name from a nurse. I followed the nurse into a small, beige room. I sat down on the examining table, as my doctor walked in. I told him my symptoms, and he did a quick check up. His cold fingers pressed against my lower back. “Breathe in and out.” He said. I did as told. “Slower.” he exclaimed. At that moment, while I was slowly breathing in and out, I could hear a small click every time I inhaled. The doctor looked up and said, “Ahhh, you seem to have pneumonia.” He explained to my mom and I what that meant because we were clueless. After he finished, he told us that if I waited any longer to go to the hospital, he wouldn’t be speaking to me, which opened my mom’s eyes finally. He told me that I couldn’t go to school for at least another two weeks, gave me a school note and my prescription. We left the hospital. My mom dropped me off, and went to pick up the medication. As I lay in bed, I remember thinking about everything that has happened to me in the past two days, and what the doctor told me. Those thoughts were interrupted by the opening of my bedroom door as my mom walked in. She handed me the medication. I swallowed the pills, and fell asleep. The next morning my mom walks in with a stack of papers. She said, “It’s alright if you’re not able to attend class,

My mother became depressed, my father became disabled, and my brother was skipping school. I continued going to school from eight until four, which was a big relief in my life because it made me forget the hard times. My grades slowly began to decline, as well as my motivation. I gave up many opportunities such as attending New York’s number one specialized high school. I recognized my mistakes and was able to identify my failure. School was not the only place where I lacked interest in because I also slowly started to push my friends away. As a young teenager, I did not think I would ever make it to college. I became frustrated at my parents because my life was ruined and it was all their fault.

It seemed like a normal day at the time, the sun was shining, the waves crashed on the shore, steady and reassuring. I did a lot of thinking that day. I thought of my future, of what I wanted to accomplish in life.Only now I realize that it wasn’t a normal day at all. It was the day I decided to graduate early.

However, my junior year also held some troubles for me. In October, my cousin had a stroke and passed away. Visiting her in the hospital and attending her funeral brought back unresolved issues I had from my brother’s death in 2010. I didn't know how to cope, so I fell into a deep depression. I had no energy; it was like my brain wouldn’t let me do anything I used to enjoy. I stopped playing the piano after having played for ten years. I loved to run, but I stopped completely. I didn’t have the energy for either.

“Natalie!” “Miguel!” we hugged once we saw each other. She took me back to the house “So what are you doing here brother” “I came to visit for 3 days.” Once I saw mom I felt overweight and almost fell but with the little strength I had I hugged her. “Honey I missed you” “Me to Mom.” After, we had dinner then I unpacked everything I had to give them like a coffee machine, telephone, and backpacks and gloves. “Mom how’d did you guys get a house in the city.” “Remember how I had a shop I sold it for more money than it was and the money you were sending us helped a lot.” The next day I wake up to a beautiful sound of the city and birds and people talking. I go outside and saw the house and it wasn’t a apartment the house was huge with a enormous backyard. The next day I left back to Los Angeles and started to do the same thing work on the weekdays then go to my mom’s house on the weekends. The dust bowl had ended and my 2 brothers and 2 sister left to college to and we became a great

Certain events and choices in life have a huge impact on the future. In A Walk to Remember, directed by Adam Shankman, the viewer is taken on a trip with Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter. Jamie is a sheltered pastor’s daughter, while Landon is popular at their school; a very unlikely couple. They go to the same high school, but the way the two meet is a bit unusual. Landon had gotten involved with a bad crowd, who peer pressured one of their classmates to jump off a bridge. He ends up in the hospital with injuries. Since Landon was involved in the accident he was made to volunteer in their school play and help tutor younger children. That’s where he gets to know Jamie. Landon has the lead in the play, and spends a lot of time with Jamie going over lines. He ends up falling in love with her, and defending her against bullies at their school. Later she reveals to him that she is sick with leukemia, and has no chance of recovering.

During my junior year, my grandmother, who raised me, passed. This news devastated me to the core because she had just gotten orthopedic surgery and was doing a lot better. I fell into a major depression. I bothered very little about my environment, even my academics. This caused me to miss major assignments in my advanced placement classes, bringing my cumulative GPA to a 2.75. It wasn’t until my senior year when I ultimately realized how childish I was being. I learned my future does depend on any person. Even though my was very instrumental in my life, she is gone now, and I must make something better of myself so I could live a comfortable life and make her

My mind was racing with thoughts about how I hated my major and never wanted to study history in the first place, how I didn’t feel I was smart enough for the school or scholarships I had earned and how I just really wanted to leave and go back to Holland because I did not love the school I thought I loved. The next day I met my mom at Aquinas College and after even more tears I explained how I wanted to drop out. After filling out paperwork and packing my things I left with my mom to Holland feeling like a failure because I dropped out of college not even forty- eight hours after moving in. When we got home my mom made a big dinner to cheer me up and said these words that still give me so much hope, “Today is the start of your new life”. After that day I truly began my new life, since I had so much time on my hands I started volunteering at Herrick District Library, a place that I have always loved, once a week, began learning how to drive and found a major that I am truly passionate about. Ultimately, I started doing what made me happy and it has turned a situation that looked sad, confusing and hopeless into a land of new

There were several times in which I felt like it would be easier to give up, but I knew I needed to get my diploma. The odds were against me . . . “you’re not going to graduate, you’re never going to do anything with your life,” my father would say, when we’d get into a disagreement. As much as I despised such words; eventually, I welcomed them with open arms. They sparked a motivation in me that I never knew I held before. I couldn’t wait to show him and everyone else who had ever doubted me, that I would

I buried my head into my mother’s shirt. My warm tears dampened her shirt, but I could tell she had no intention of pushing me away. There were other voices around me, but her’s was the only one that I cared to focus on. “You’re a strong and brilliant little boy,” she said to me, “you shouldn’t let this move break you down like this.” I knew she was right, but I was just so furiously confused that I didn’t want to acknowledge it. “How could you know?” I howled, “you’re not the one who’s spending hours alone every day because you’re too terrified to ask anyone if they want to play a game or hang out or even have a conversation!” My sobbing intensified. “No,” she quietly said to me, “but you’re not the only one who left Costa Rica to come here.”

Black Americans can have different emotions from crying to being silent. People usually gather in large gatherings to pay respect. Black Americans have a belief that death is God’s will and the deceased is in God’s hand and will be reunited

As I trudged bleakly through the double doors, slowly sitting down in my seat, and listened as the cushion deflated underneath me, I wondered whether I could just go back to my dorm and sleep. Thoughts ran through my light-headed brain, all I could really think about had to do with tissues, and lots of water to mask my hideous cough. I hated being sick, especially during school. Nevertheless, I still went to every one of my classes, even if I felt horrible. I always told myself during times when I felt like giving up, just one more hour, just one more day. Just like me, thousands of people went through similar situations, but the way they respond to them showed their own personal perspectives.

I remember it like it was yesterday, the day that changed my life forever. On March 9th of 2011, my mom was diagnosed with skin cancer in her lung. The doctor gave her about six months to live and this is how it went.