Physics, sleep, physics, sleep. Physics. I shut off the alarm, switched on the light, and grabbed my textbook from my night-table. Today was just the start of another ordinary day of school, and I could not help myself from looking forward to the weekend as I went over Newton’s three laws in my head. As I turned to the next page of my notes, I was startled by the sound of a doorbell. At four o’clock, who could be at the door? Could it just be a simple mistake? The wrong house maybe? My intuition said otherwise; I knew something was wrong. My mother got up out of bed and rushed to the front window. I heard the voices of my father’s friends as my mother let them in. The next thing I knew, I heard my mother crying as the two men tried to console her; my father had passed away. In that instant, I felt as though the ground had been taken from beneath me. Not knowing what to do with myself, I questioned how any of this could have happened. How could he have died? He was only thirty-nine, he was healthy, he was happy. He had just called me from Dubai a few days ago, telling me what a wonderful time he was having and how he might be heading to Nairobi for a couple of days. What could have happened to him from the day of his last phone call to the day he – I paused- I could not even think of saying the next word. Standing at a podium two weeks later in front of all my family and friends, I delivered my father’s eulogy. Holding back my tears, I reflected on all that my father had achieved throughout his life, the wonderful moments we had shared together and all that he had taught me. My dad and I had always shared a special bond, one that went beyond that of a father and daughter. He was my best friend, my inspiration. He allowed me to... ... middle of paper ... ...ng out of the ordinary, we see it as a barrier in the way of our expected paths. As I came to accept my father’s death, I stopped seeing it as a barrier, but as a part of my path. Since I was a little girl, my father had raised me to be a strong-headed, persevering young woman. He always used to tell me that resilience is the key to life. If I could overcome an obstacle or recover from a strong blow, I could do anything. As I was coping with his death, I thought back to all the lessons he had taught me growing up. It was at that moment that I realized what the purpose of my father’s death was. His death was an opportunity for me to test myself on whether I could take all that he had instilled in me and use it when confronted with such an obstacle. I welcomed this challenge, knowing that it was time to show myself what I was made of, time to make my father proud.
Sadly, life is a terminal illness, and dying is a natural part of life. Deits pulls no punches as he introduces the topic of grief with the reminder that life’s not fair. This is a concept that most of us come to understand early in life, but when we’re confronted by great loss directly, this lesson is easily forgotten. Deits compassionately acknowledges that grief hurts and that to deny the pain is to postpone the inevitable. He continues that loss and grief can be big or small and that the period of mourning afterward can be an unknowable factor early on. This early assessment of grief reminded me of Prochaska and DiClemente’s stages of change, and how the process of change generally follows a specific path.
The author talking about a funeral had a very long lasting affect on me. The author purpose was to make me understand that I should always do the right thing. Using his example of her old teacher, and how she did not want to go, but in the end he realized doing the right thing makes others happy. There were also instances of her saying that she did not want to make her condolences or go to the funeral in general, and I feel anybody can relate to that instance. If I ever have a love one pass away, I hope that all my friends and everybody who knew they would come to the funeral because it truly does mean the world to the family that is going through this.
It is hard to give a eulogy for one’s parent. More than the death of a classmate or sibling, the death of a parent is not only a loss, but also a reminder that we are all following an inevitable path. We are all “Outrunning Our Shadow” as her friend Fred Hill so provocatively titled his book.
involved with Hamlet. It seems that no matter whoever gets involved with Hamlet after he finds
“It is perhaps in grief that we discover the force that carried us once again into incarnation, the reason we incarnated in the first place. It is in the tearing open of heart that we discover how guarded our lives have become, how small a cage we have traded off for safe ground. We see how our work is to be more loving, to live more fully in an often confusing world.”
Though most have a desire to leave earth and enter eternal life peacefully, without any sorrow, the departure of a loved one can be despondent. Previously in 2011, my grandfather passed away due to heart failure. It was an arduous battle, not only for my grandfather, but also for the close knit family surrounding him. His battle with heart failure enabled me to create unforgettable memories with him, even in his final days. Laughing together, playing together and learning significant values about life together made me grow to become a more mature and wise person. Therefore, my personal experience is entwined with empathy because the death of my grandfather has made me realize how dismal it is to lose someone important. It also interplays with self-interest because I have grown as an individual to deal with the ache that is attached to losing a family member. It has helped me to realize how beautiful the gift of life is. Stephen Dunn, the poet behind Empathy and my story are connected because they both involve the feeling of empathy for others and the self-interest of an individual. They help us to grow and learn about ourselves and the emotions of
Death is sometimes considered unthinkable. People do not wish to think of loved ones dying. When someone close to us dies we are over come with sadness. We wish we had more time with them. Their death shows us the importance of that person’s role in our lives. We begin to think of how we will live our lives without them. We think of all the moments we shared with them, they live again in our memories. Perhaps death is considered unthinkable because we fe...
Eulogy for Son William was a very special person. His good qualities are endless. Since he was just a child, I always remember William sticking up for the family. When his sister, Lisa, was a baby, William would sit outside her room with a mask and cape on, ready to rescue her in case she started crying. And, if William’s father or I were making too much noise, he was always quick to fly downstairs and tell us to keep quiet so as not to disturb his little sister.
The incident in which death occurs can play a crucial part in how the individual overcomes it. In some cases death can leave an individual traumatized and basically mentally paralyzed for a time being after the incident. The way of overcoming death in these individuals would be to accept it. Accepting death is a positive way of coping. Accepting death consist of understanding that death is a part of life, treasuring the moments and growing from the impact that individual had. However, this may become difficult based on how the incident occurs. The story, “My Mother’s Sin” is a prime example of overcoming death. In this story death plays a critical component. However, it is not death who defines a person; it is how the person fights back after death. The mother, Despinio, in this story had a tough time overcoming death. Despinio never accepted fault in her actions. She had smothered her baby
I have felt the pain of the loss of a Sister; have felt the pain of the death of my Mother, and felt the death of my Father. I know how it feels. I experienced it. It is painful, looking at those old kind folks who bore you; who took care of you; went through all kinds of sacrifices and pains just to look after you for years and years, until one day the child stood on one’s own two feet, and then … there they are, the parents, helpless and lifeless in front of you.
My father has been a great influence in my life. The reason why my dad has influenced me is because he was able to raise me. My dad raised my two brothers and me by himself because my mother passed away. The day when my mother passed away was hardest time for us all. My brother and I were in waiting room with a friend of my Dad’s. My Dad came out of my mother’s room with worried face. My Dad told us that mother was not feeling well, so we
In conclusion, the poem helps you to realize and accept that just like birth is natural, death is a natural process in life. No matter what, death is inevitable. But instead of holding on to the sad memories, you can use the happier memories to cope and deal with the loss of a loved one or family pet. However, you are able to be at peace with the fact that you loved them until the end.
Each of you here had your own relationship with my Dad, each of you has your own set of memories and your own word picture that describes this man. I don’t presume to know the man that you knew. But I hope that, in this eulogy that I offer, you will recognise some part of the man that we all knew, the man that is no longer amongst us, the man who will never be gone until all of us here have passed.
She said that he had had a stroke the night before. He died in the
Everyone has milestone days in his/her life that change the direction of his/her life for better or worse. Let me tell you one of my experiences that I will never forget from when I was 12 years old.