I Never Knew How Fast Someone 's Life Could Be Taken Away Until

As soon as my eyes woke up to the bitter cold of the night and stars covered by black blanket of clouds, I knew that this was it. I had tried to prepare myself that day, but I was at school when it happened. The moment the intercom came over the classroom, “Hailey Wooldridge needs to come the office, her mom is here to check her out,” my heart stopped. I was able to make it to the office without losing my composure, but as soon as my eyes met my mom standing there with tears in hers I lost it. Right there standing in the school office, the food gates of heaven opened up in my eyes and I could not stop the rivers from flowing. My best friend since kindergarten had died. All the planning of moving in together when we went to college was down the drain. The late nights of watching horribly filmed scary movies was done. My heart was broken, and the pieces are still not taped together properly. Two days later was her funeral. Her mother had asked me to say a couple of words about her during the service, but the thought of standing next to her lifeless body talking about her and not to her made everything seem surreal. By the power of prayer and numerous amounts of tears, I stood up from my seat and walked lifelessly to the podium that viewed hundreds of people waiting to see what I had to say. I do not know how I got through that speech without hysterically crying, but somehow, I talked like I was having a conversation with Serra once again. In front of me, I

When we arrived, we learned that the game had actually been postponed until tomorrow due to the baseball field being soaked with rain. As we arrived back at my grandparent’s house we received news that changed my family’s life forever. Both my father and I had learned that while we were away for not longer than 10 minutes, my grandmother had peacefully passed away. This news was extremely devastating for us because not only was it my father’s mother, but it was my grandma, who was the one who was always at my baseball games supporting me and was always willing to have me over after my school days during elementary school. As we came to accept the fact that she was finally gone, we were both struck with our emotions. It was a very emotional time for my family and I still have not been able to cope with her being gone. Everyday I feel as if a piece of me is missing and this feeling will probably be with me for the rest of my life because the effect that my grandma had on my life was that devastating. Now as I look back on this day almost exactly two years later, I can still feel the emptiness that I felt on that

My maternal aunt gathered us together and we all sat on the couch. She turned to my mother and told us she had cancer. I looked at my aunt and I did not know what to say or how to respond. Three months later, my father received a phone call from his sister telling him that my pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with leukemia and had to give birth to her premature baby. She and I grew up in the same house in Arizona and what hurt me the most was not being able to be with her during this difficult time. When we went to visit her in Arizona, my dad told us before entering the hospital room that he did not want us to cry in front of her. I was scared to enter. I did not know what to say to her but I knew I had to be strong. We stayed there for the holiday season but we never celebrated the holidays, that was too

I went to my living room to ask my mom a question, to see she wasn’t there. I asked my brother “where’s mom?” and he replied with “shes at the hospital, grandpa got burnt.” I would never have expected “grandpa got burnt” to be as severe as it was. I remember my mom coming home around two in the morning. I got up and out of bed to ask some questions. She said “I don’t wanna talk about it right now. Pack some stuff up, we’re going to Waterloo tomorrow.” So I listened and packed up a bag.

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. The strange sound of my mom's phone was loud and alarming. I decided to ignore it and go back to sleep. Soon after I went back to sleep, my mom came in my room. I sat up in my bed with my eyes half opened, and I remember the puzzled look on her face. It was frightening like if she had just been told something unexpected and upsetting. And at that exact moment, I knew exactly what she was going to say, and I froze in fear. She sat next to me and nervously mumbled ¨Your grandma passed away¨. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want to believe it. The exact same four words kept repeating over and over in my head and I felt like the whole world was spinning. Without even realizing, I then found myself bawling my eyes out. I had so many mixed emotions. I was heartbroken, I was angry and I was upset. My mom told me to get dressed since we were going to the hospital but I refused to go. I was upset and all I wanted to do was to be alone. My mom then left after having a talk with me about my grandma. I started to feel better and I was starting to accept that things happen for a reason, but it also started to feel like there was a huge hole in my

At 4:30 am, my alarm went off; I was more tired than ever. I rolled over stepping onto the wood floor. I walked to the bathroom feeling as if I could collapse and fall back into my deep sleep. After my shower, I went back into the snug, little room I was calling home for the time being at my grandparent’s house. I was at my grandparents house due to the fact that my dad and Stacy were already in the Dominican Republic. I packed my last few belongings and crawled back into the bed to fall asleep for a few minutes. I assumed that ten minutes had passed when I remember hearing my grandparents talking about how we had to leave soon. My grandma came in asking us what we had wanted for breakfast. Mickenzie and I told her we weren’t hungry and got out of the warm cozy bed to get in the car. After changing, we went out to the kitchen to say bye to our grandma, seeing that there wasn’t room for her in the car. She gave us a huge, tight bear hug telling us to be safe.

A lot of things have turned out differently for me than I had ever expected. I never thought that I would ever move from Illinois to Tennessee. When I was little I didn’t even expect from where I was then, to where I am now today. I won’t be talking about those events that happened, but I will be talking one that happened recently. It is about the time where my group and I thought our cheer stunt was going to hit. Nobody knew it was going to break down.

It’s August 28th, 2015 I had just moved to Grand Valley State University two days ago. Its 6:15am. My cell phone is ringing. It was my brother and I thought it was too early for him to be calling me, so I sent his call to voicemail, it rang again, I thought to myself, “Why on earth is he calling me at 6:15 in the morning it’s too early for this”, So I finally decided to answer the call and I got the news that my grandma passed away. It wasn’t totally unexpected, she was on hospice care an entire week before I left for college and I’ve watched her slowly deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

A few months into the school year I got some news from my parents that referred to my grandmother. She had an accident in her home that put her in critical condition. At this point my father rose to the occasion and began to watch after my grandmother, his mom. Taking care of my grandmother was not an easy task. She was constantly being moved in-between nursing homes and hospitals. She continuously had unstable vitamin levels and her body and was just in very poor physical condition. My father held on though, he was always by her side making sure she was okay. While my grandmother won’t ever fully recover, she is doing much better. It’s because of my father that she’s still alive today. I lost more of my innocence through all this but at the same time I learned that when things get bad, family takes care of one

It was a sunny Monday morning before school, except we didn't smell the usual bacon or sausage. So we went down stairs and checked the clock. It was 12:30 P.M. Mom kept us home from school. We asked why, and she said “We are going somewhere that will change your lives.” My brother and I ran upstairs to get our stuff. Most people have suitcases that have their initials,but my brother and I are both A.C., so we have our names. Mine, Atticus Ceallach and his, Albion Ceallach. We both grabbed our suitcases, and packed whatever we could fit (which isn't a lot). As we were packing I saw a picture of me and my friend Brooklyn at summer camp. That was the next summer of my life. I thought about how much I would miss her, and a tear rolled down my cheek. I slipped the small

My Dad asked me if I could help out at Cedar Springs Camp with other people I know. The weird thing was I said, “yes”. When we got there I saw that another teenager I knew was there to. She also heard about what happened yesterday. But, basically what we did was simple. All we had to do was load wood onto a truck. After about three to four hours of working, the girl invited us to watch her little brother play football. My brother Stephen went with to. And watching these little kids tackle each other was the funniest thing ever to Stephen and I. And watching the kids attempting to run was even funnier. After that we went to McDonald’s for supper. But yet again, I still had that depressed resting face. Next there was a balloon release in honor of Jadon Wulff. We all wore blue because it was his favorite color. Once I got out of the car, I saw my friend Levi, and I started to sob again. We were walking to the suspension bridge, and we met Sam. We each had a blue balloon in our hand. And a few minutes later everyone there released their balloons at the same time. After that, all the freshman sat in a circle and prayed. I also took big part in that myself. We were all sobbing which is completely okay in a situation like this. Levi’s Mom gave me a ride home. After that I went to bed, I was still a little sad but sort of content. Because I realized that Jadon Wulff is in heaven now and that God doesn’t want me to worry. A week later I grew acceptance that he was going to be with God for an eternity. And once I die, I will meet him

When I got my family was around our wooden table. My dad on his soft voice said “ I don’t think your grandpa will go through one more night, you need to call him” he cried. I felt like I couldn’t do it, felt so week and a huge hole in my stomach, something I’ve never felt before, I grabbed the phone and when I was about to call, the phone ringed, I passed the phone to my dad, It was my aunt sobbing and barely able to speak, then she said “ he passed away, I’m sorry honey” I couldn’t believe it I didn’t even had the chance to say

I just hold the bouquet I bought for him I just needed to visit him again. My aunt parks, there is no one in the cemetery visiting only my aunt, sister and I. We stroll and open the gate. My aunt searches for my grandfather's grave. I felt so calmed and happy at the same time as I was strolling with my sister and aunt. I see lizards and iguanas around, I was watching step. I finally see my grandpa Jose grave. I put the bouquet in a base of water and place it in his own grave. That moment I could feel that lump in my throat. I felt like I wanted to cry because I still remember him when I went with my mom to visit my grandma and him when I was a toddler. I had memories of when he would take me on a ride on a horse. I was happy that I completed my goal to visit him. Visiting cemeteries is not my thing but I did it for my grandfather. A few days ago my grandma was gonna show us pictures of when he was sick. She took out all her photos of her side of the family and when my mom was a kid. Sadly, she couldn't find the pictures, my grandma told us that a day before she placed them in her storage. However, the photos didn't appear. I instantly thought that my grandpa hide them from us so my sister and I wouldn’t see those pictures. As I leave the cemetery we all head back to my aunt's house. The next day I sadly leave back home. That day was a memorable and a special day for me in my vacation trip to

I had just finished my basketball practice. I was feeling ecstatic because I was making baskets left and right like Kobe Bryant. My coach even told me that he has never seen me play like that before. Then I strutted outside and found my father parked outside the school in his large, brown pick-up truck. I hopped inside and turned my seat heater to high because it was frigid, winter weather outside. My dad made some casual small talk, then he gave me the news. He stated in a low, dull voice, “Hey Jack, grandma past away today.”

June 11, 2015. It was a regular summer day, or so I thought. Only five days until my fifteenth birthday and I was super excited. My mom had taken the morning off from work to take my grandmother to the doctors. She was going for her regular heart check-up appointment. As we always did, my mother and I drove that morning over to the nursing home in St. Matthews, South Carolina. My mother had recently entered my grandmother into the nursing home because my mom needed to start working more and could not fulfill the obligations of taking care of my grandmother like she normally would. When we got to the nursing home, we parked the car under the awning which was in the front of the nursing and covered a little walkway where people loaded their family members. I got out first and headed back to the room as my mom followed closely behind. When I walked into the room, I saw my sweet loving grandmother sitting there. As always, my beautiful grandmother, with her white hair, her green eyes, her frail but beautiful skin, and her smile glistened as she awaited her day out. My grandmother did not get out much so even going to the doctors was a good day out for her. We helped her into her wheelchair, a normal struggle for my mother and I, and we rolled her down the hallway to the car. We loaded her into the car, another struggle, and we headed off to Orangeburg which was where the doctors office was. While riding to the doctor's office my grandmother mentioned that her hands looked green