Personal Narrative: My Father's Death Essay

When I was a sophomore, my dad had a life changing injury. This changed how I viewed the world and life in general; I witnessed firsthand how fast life can change. It went from happy times to 30 days in an Intensive Care Unit. From being able to talk to my dad every day to seeing him in a hospital bed on life support. The steps it took for him to get where he is today, from 30 days in ICU, to another month in the trauma unit, and 2 months in rehab made me grow as a person and begin to realize the true value of life.

I wait at the door. I put on my solemn, grim face, I cannot let these children see me as a soft women. I am anything but that, well I guess I am, but we all need to hide our inner emotions some how. My useless husband, Hans, mumbles, “I see the car”. We step outside, most people think Hans and I are crazy for opening our home to these two children, but every little bit of money that we can earn helps. Plus, they can help with the laundry, I think and smile.

I once read a book about a guy who believes that everyone gets a tragedy at some point in their life. I never thought this could be true, because some people have great lives, and even if they do not how would they decide what the single hardest moment was? Recently my father passed away, and I realized you do not get to decide, you just know. This had been the hardest point in my life, however, the same book taught me that good things can come out of any bad experience if you look for them. Before I could see that I had to deal with many things, such as realizing he was really gone, going to his funeral, and going back to school. I also had to cope with the fact that I would never have the chance to change the relationship I

I had two hard working parents who went above and beyond to ensure that my sister and I had a good childhood by trying to grant as many requests that they could. They always stressed the importance of hard work to achieve anything and everything we set our minds to and education, but I was very young so education wasn't that high on my priority list. I wanted to become a truck driver or a construction worker, but after my dad suffered a back injury at his job I knew that I wanted to fix his

The most impactful event I experienced, was the loss of my father. I lost my father as a result of homicide, but he had made choices that kept him from being in my life. As a child, I saw my father every month and I enjoyed it: I had two sisters, I could hang out with and play with our dolls. My father could be a loving and great person when he chose to be.

My dad always said, “Whatever you put in your mind you will make it happen if you really want it”. These words I never forgot and have been in my mind ever since. He has always been my mentor and the person I look up to. He thought me to be independent and always to better myself.

I remember when my dad would always encourage me and my siblings to be successful in school, because if you are successful you will make it to the real world. The real world is tough and people need

Both of my parents believed in me, which made me want to work and try so hard. They made feel like I was capable of doing so much. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. My mom never went to college and my dad never got the opportunity to have his “college years.” I have been fortunate enough to go to school four consecutive years and be able to have my fun “college years.” Unfortunately, not everyone gets the opportunity to go to school like I can or have parents to pay for my tuition so I won’t be in debt. My parents never want me to settle for any job but I job I will actually enjoy wanting to go to. My family may have pushed me to go to college and to never take a break, but they only did that so I could be a successful individual and not have to relay on anyone else.

Whenever something was wrong with our house, my dad would be the one to fix it instead of calling a plumber. Last year my father lost his thumb and index finger when he was working on a house that belong to one his brothers. Even after being permanently injured, my father continued to apply all of his effort into fixing houses up to this point. My father didn’t have an education higher than High School but through his actions, my father taught me that by having a goal or someone to support, anything could be achieved. He motivated me to do my best even when things weren’t going as I planned. My father wasn’t the only one doing his best to support the family, my mother

So about three years ago my aunt past away and my entire family attended the funeral. For those of you that know my immediate family (the Hairston clan) you know that nothing good could possibly come this happening. I'm going to tell a story that is 100% accurate with no exaggerations what so ever. This story will be long but well worth the time. It involves a black cowboy, an elderly Jamaican man, a borderline racist grandmother and three asshole brothers.

Growing up I always wanted to change the way people think and perceive things, but it was somewhat hard to make that dream come true because of my learning disability. With the help of my parents I was able to become the successful student I am today. I am graduating at the top of my class because of their help.

My father was gone from home from when he woke up to when he had to go to sleep (past tense because he is currently unemployed due to a terrible accident that occurred two years ago), for the extensive hours he had to put in for extra money going into our savings for a better house in a better part of town—unlike our current small mobile home. During the one week out of the year he received vacation with pay, he took us nearby cities like San Antonio and South Padre Island to spend time with him. Although it was not enough to spend time with my dad, it made me realize how thankful I am for a hardworking father like him. He inculcates his thoughts, hopes, and dreams with my siblings and I, hoping we would not follow his footsteps of lack of education. Seeing my father be as hardworking through all he has been through, taking his abusive childhood into consideration, impacted my child self to realize one of the true meanings of life—make the most of what you can and make the best out of the

He also taught me that if you want something you have to be willing to earn it. My barrier that I am overcoming right now is similar to his because he was committed and so was I. If I wasn’t committed I would probably still have a really bad grade in my Algebra class. If I didn’t have a good grade my mom would be really mad at me because she expects more from me because I am really smart. I not say that my siblings aren’t because they are, mom just expects all of us do good. She expects this because she wants us to get a good job one

As a young boy, my Dad did not grow up with a lot and knew that he would make different choices as a teenager so he could provide for himself and his future family as and adult. A life that would be comfortable and have everything they would need. So as a teenager, he worked hard to pay for a car and his education. After college, he was able to get the career that he went to school for,

Good afternoon. First of all, on behalf of our whole family, I would like to thank you all for coming to attend my daughter's memorial service. I also would like to extend our deepest thanks for the tremendous help and assistance, love and support we've recieved from everyone. Words cannot describe the sorrow and loss that I am feeling, but I'll try.