A Life to Remember It was 4:03 am when we received the call. This call was not an average call. This call was a wake up call that not everything in life is a happy ending. My grandmother called with a very frantic tone that my grandfather fell and hit his head, she said that the ER was there but we need to get there as fast as possible. My parents and I jumped in the car so quickly to drive and retrieve my grandmother to go to the hospital. By the time we reached the hospital it was 4:55, this time that was only an amount of 51 minutes almost seemed an eternity. We got into the waiting room when they said they will be with us shortly. A room full of tears and an immense amount of thoughts was silent. When Dr. Marcotte came in the news was that my grandfather instantly passed away when he hit his head. The room that once was still was now speechless. The mix of emotions and thoughts emerged and this night was a night I would never forget, and not in a good way. A memory I cherish with my grandfather is listening to his stories and life lessons. I loved to hear them while my sister dreaded them. He has lived such an interesting life. My grandfather fought in the Vietnam War, on which he liked to educate me and teach me that fighting for his country was the best thing he could have done with his life. He taught me that being caring was one of the best traits you can hold. He tells me that the immigration from his homeland, Croatia, was one of the hardest decisions of his
I remember waking up that day and that feeling in my stomach, knowing what was about to happen. Growing up I knew about my father's sickness. My family, I recall, was always supportive. No one ever thinks about how one day, everyone you’re around for years, can just vanish. I cherished my friends as I was growing up. I lived there for a majority of my life, up until fourth grade. I remember sitting at a neighbor's house and having the mother come into the room and inform me that I need to be home swiftly. As I ran home, my head was crowded with thoughts to the point where I could not even think about why I was supposed to be home quickly. That day marked the transition of what would be the biggest change in my life. As by dad became sicker,
It is 2:20 in the morning when the phone rings. You are automatically startled and jump to pick it up after the second ring. That feeling in your stomach tells you that something is terribly wrong. It is the police on the other end of the line telling you that your daughter has been in a fatal accident. As the officer is talking, you seem to freeze and zone out. Your spouse is up now and takes the phone and talks to the officer to find out what is going on. You are in a state of shock as you both drive to the hospital so that you all can identify your daughter. When you become more coherent, you learn that a senseless fool who was drunk took your precious baby away from you. This is one phone call
I remember the feeling as though it happened just yesterday. I remember the look of sadness in my grandfather’s eyes as the words came out of his mouth. I remember the car ride to the vet in
My great grandmother showed me old pictures of my great-grandfather serving in the Army. She would tell incredible stories about him being in Berlin. I enjoyed hearing my great-grandmother reminiscing about all the accomplishments he achieved while he was
It was a small wood building kind of like a barn. And we walked in and my mother asked for Mr. Fredrickson and the nurse said “Right this way.” We followed her to the room door I was shaking and nervous my mom was too. I put my hand on the cold steel door knob; I turned it and slowly and opened it gently. There was my dad lying on the bed, we looked at each other and I yelled “Papa!” I was so glad to see him just like he was glad to see us. After my mother, father, and I caught up on things and talked for a while the doctor slowly opened the door and said “You are able to leave, all you need is this.” She said after pulling a wheelchair from behind herself. We all gave each other hugs. I was so happy that my father could come
I remember my fingers leaving shallow depressions on her cold pale skin. As the Paramedics left the room, they sadly instructed us to say our goodbyes and that they would be back shortly. If I had known she was going die, I would have said more to my grandma when she kissed me on the cheek the previous day. Our large family sat in the living room crying as my grandma was placed in a large black bag before being taken away. That sorrowful morning I watched as the paramedics unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate my grandma. This frightful and gloomy experience would inspire me to one day save lives. After witnessing a patient code, working as patient care technician (PCT), and experiencing the sincere generosity of two physicians, I became certain that I wanted to be a doctor.
I didn't sleep the next night, for something was missing, something that I have longed for ever since I killed the old man, I know it wasn't the fact that I missed him, but it might have been the adrenaline that I experienced as I killed him, and even after, when I was dismembering his limbs. Was that it? It must have been. I fear that insanity is advancing upon me. I must satisfy my craving for the kill. But with who? It must be someone who won't ever possibly be remembered. Course in this part of town just the littlest thing, like Mrs. Jones breaking her one of a kind Russian doll, will be observed with much care. If I choose to purge upon this town I must work surreptitiously. And that's what I will do.
I never really knew my grandpa as well as I would have liked. He was already an old, old man by the time I started high school, and my own memories of him are mostly of a man confined by age and ailing health. So I'm not really going to talk about my memories of him. Instead, I'm going to try to share his memories and the memories of those that knew him.
The morning of July twentieth we received a call, I remembered I had a very bad feeling about my nephew the night before but I decided to just sleep it off. When I heard my older sister on the other end bawling my heart had just completely drowned down into my stomach.
Memories of using a manual hand mixer to beat our eggs and leafing through his library of yellowing photo album pages. Sometimes he would tinker with broken clocks, leaking plumbing fixtures, or an old 1970 VW Beetle he gave to my grandmother. I make it a mission to explore a nook or storage box in his garage. His house is perpetually frozen in 2009. Thumbing through his family albums, I’ve seen his house and neighborhood transform over the decades.My grandfather passed before I left elementary school, and learning about his life with a more developed mind has made me wish for more time with
One night in January, I couldn't sleep and it was 4am and then out of the blue I got a call from my sister.. At first all I had was questions, “What do you mean his organs are shutting down?” And then she said it-- grandpa’s dying. She called telling me that our grandpa, who was battling cancer on and off for eight years,
Some of my favorite moments with my grandfather were how we always did everything together. I was glad I lived with my grandparents. Stuff with my actual family weren’t the best, because they thought they couldn’t handle me. My grandfather and I had so much fun throughout the years. We enjoyed going for ice cream the most. We always had the same ice cream every once in a while, but occasionally we would change it up a little. We usually grabbed chocolate ice cream for a treat, but sometimes we would decide we want a twist ice cream. I loved spending time with my grandfather.
I distinctly remember the weeknights at his house. Sitting upon his lap, walking down the street, getting pulled in my wagon through a park--these were things I loved doing with Grandpa. I was not just another person to him: I was the ultimate grandson, and I was special.
We all got into the car and immediately my sister was bombarded with questions. “Is he ok?”, “What happened?”, “Who is with him?” She answered each one to the best of her knowledge. She told us that his heart had stopped and started back up again, and that Mama (my Mom) and Papa (my Dad) were at the hospital with him. The car ride there was a very scary ride, because we were all so frightened by what had happened.
Some of the many memories I carry with me every day of my grandmother are the holidays when we used to get together. I remember Thanksgiving and Easter most of all. On Thanksgiving the entire family would come together for dinner and then we would all stay at her house for the night. I remember this so well because we would wake up the next morning to the smell of breakfast and all the ladies would be gone shopping to the "After Thanksgiving Sale".