
" Eventually, everything goes away."
-Elizabeth Gilbert
Always appreciate what you have when it is still their. Things come and go unexpectedly, and this departure is out of our control. In life, all must come to an end at one time or another. Be thankful for the things you have now before they are gone.
Life is a circle. Things are born, live, and eventually die. Unfortunately, my Great Uncle passed away last week. Although I did not see him very often, I heard many stories of the type of man he was. At his funeral, I heard more stories, and I was able to better understand exactly who my Great Uncle was. I learned that he was a smart, kind, loving man, who always put others before himself. He died at 82 years of age, but lived a fulfilling, rewarding life.
Just last month, Passover was celebrated in the Jewish religion. Every year, my mom's family has a large seder, where generations of cousins gather together to celebrate this holiday. The seder is always fun, and I get to see lots of my first and second cousins. I always got to see Uncle Noel. This year was different. I had a significant amount of homework, and I had a lacrosse practice. It was decided that I would not be able to go to the seder. My siblings also had conflicts, and my entire family decided that we would not be able to go. We never thought twice about this decision, except for my mom. She told us that her uncles were getting older, and that she wanted to see them and the rest of her family. After talking through it again, the choice remained the same. We ended up not going; which all of us felt a little guilty about.
When I heard the news of my great uncle's stroke, I was terrified, and felt extremely sad. From early on in his hours in the hospital, the doctors knew the stroke was a bad one, and were very sceptical of his life. I tried to remain on the optimistic side, but after my mom visited him in the hospital and updated me on his conditions, I knew he was not going to live.
Noel died a week later, and his funeral was held this past Monday.
I wish I could have gone back, and changed my family's decision about not going to the passover seder; however, the past is the past. What I know now is to appreciate what you have, and always tell your loved ones how much you love them.
In the blink of an eye, someone can be gone.