Brainstorm:

• Violence

• Fear

• Tragedies

• Less people going to campus

• Disorder

• Family issue

• Political issue

• Economical crises

• Guns means violence

 Outline

Introduction:

I want to inform the reader that I’m against this idea of students allowed to carry guns on campus. Also I want to try to convince the reader to think the same way.

Thesis: having College students allowed to carry guns on campus means bringing more problems to our society than bringing solution.

Reason #1: Reasons for being against this idea:

1. The fact that violence can not be treated with violence

2. Things would get worse and out of control

3. Who is capable of choosing people won can or can not carry guns?

Reason #2: The results if this bill passes:

1. Number of students and teachers on-line would increase dramatically

2. Lost of interest for many students to start going to college

3. Any problem that a student is confronting could be a treat, if this student is carrying a gun.

Reason #3: All the violence that we are experienced is results of:

1. of discrimination;

2. bad structural families;

3. The search for a solution, because of a life of emptiness.

Conclusion:

I want to convince the reader one more time about the danger of students carrying guns on campus.

Sources:

1-http://media.www.dailygamecock.com/media/storage/paper247/news/2008/02/27/Viewpoints/Point.Counterpoint.Should.Students.Be.Allowed.To.Carry.Guns.On.Campus-3236694.shtml

2-

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/us/30texas.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=college%20students%20carrying%20guns%20on%20campus&st=cse

3-

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-50658

The problems with Guns on Campus

How our society deals with violence today? Is it anyone capable of deciding who can carry guns and who can not? Is it that all the violence that we all are experiencing today results of many years of discrimination and bad structural families? How can we resolve all these problems without any more violence? The answer to all these questions is something very hard to find. Our society is very divided today in whether we should carry guns or not. The people that are against the right of carrying guns are afraid of more violence and the people that want to have the right to carry guns think that this is the only way of defending their selves. In my personal opinion if the bill for the rights of carrying guns in college passes, that would just terrify me. Allowing students to carry guns on campus is just bringing more violence to our lives.

The fact that there is a bill being voted to let college students carry guns on campus concerns me. I’m completely against this bill. Our schools does not need any more violence. This bill believe that college students carrying guns on campus can help them to defend them selves. But my question to all the people that believe on this bill is, how can someone judge who is capable of carrying guns and who is not? I don’t believe that we can trust in any student college on carrying guns. If this bill come to pass, our colleges and universities will become a mess. Things will get out of control. The job of defending our people is the job of the police, not a job to the college student. A much better idea of this whole thing would be hire and train more cops to be working at colleges and universities all over the United States. Violence should not be treated with more violence. Violence should be studied and trying to understand the reasons why is happing more and more today.

Just think of all the results that we will have if this bill come to pass. The number of students and teachers attending college would drop dramatically. I can affirm that, because of just talking with few people about this bill and most of the people that I talked to was just in shock. Their first reaction was to say that they would not go to college anymore or that they would attend college on-line. Attending college or teaching on-line would increase dramatically, because people would just be so afraid of their colleagues at class. Just the idea of knowing that a student did not have a good day and that this same student is carrying a gun is freighting. Dealing with a human being is something very hard to do. When you watch the news about someone that never had any criminal records in the past and that this same person goes inside of a building killing others, is something that no one can explain why. Knowing that, why we want to put more guns on the street. The fact that buying guns is so easy in this country, scares me. This country should instead of giving the right to a college student to carry guns should revoke all the licenses from everyone besides someone that works on field of protection, such as the police.

All the violence that we are all experiencing today is a result of all the bad structural families and discrimination. When we watch or read the news about someone that killed others, this killer is usually someone that did not have a good structural family or this person was suffering discrimination from our society. The only way they find to fill their gaps in life is with violence. Unfortunately our society does not understand that when you are being racist against color, language accent or sexual option, this can cause a deep problem that can turn out into violence. Also all the broken families, and the number of divorces increases more and more each day. A children growing up without the present of a good father or a good mother can be a very destructive. Our kids need a good and strong structural family and also a system that does not teaches them to be racist and instead to teach them how to love out neighbors no matter what color they have or what language they speak.

After all this being said, I want to reaffirm the importance of understanding the reasons of all this violence that we see everyday. Our government need to understand that violence is not solved with more violence. Our TV shows needs to show our kids in how to love and be friends with all the kids. All the mothers and fathers of our country needs to understand the importance of getting married with the right person, so they can stay together and raise their kids together. Our schools need to understand the importance of being receptive and embrassing to the other kids from all over the globe and showing them their respect and love. Doing all these things our society would be a much better place to live.

Brainstorm:

 The difference and Similarities between Men and Women in a Workplace.

      Women are still making less money than the men holding the same job.

• Women concerns more about taking care of the kids than the men.

• Women and men are now days both concern on a great carrier.

• There is much more women that works from home, then men.

• Women deals much more with Sexual Harassment then the men.

• Women have to deal with maternity leave and the men don’t.

Outline

Introduction:

I want to introduce the reader to the context of this essay.

Thesis: The women today is fighting for her rights and getting into places never dreamed of.

Reason #1: The new women

a) The gradual increase of women in the labor force over the past half century

b) young women want just as much to advance to jobs with more responsibility as young men

c)Work/Life difficulty is no longer a women’s issue — it’s a people issue

Reason #2: The new men:

a) Father’s are spending more time with their children

b) Men experience increased levels of work-life conflict

c) Men are taking the same responsibilities at home as the women.

Reason #3: The difference between Men and Women:

a) Women still makes less money than the men doing the same job

b) Women usually stay with the kids when there is a divorce

c) Women deals with sexual harassment much more than the men

Conclusion:

Even with all the differences,women is fighting more than ever to accomplish their dreams in life.

 Sources:

http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/Times_Are_Changing.pdf

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/03-26-2009/0004994992&EDATE

http://www.wife.org/differencebetweenmenandwomen.htm

The difference and Similarities between Men and Women in a Workplace.

What are the differences and similarities on a workplace environment for a women and for a men? Is it still the men dominating the work market? Who takes more responsibility for child care? What factors predict work-life conflict among fathers and mothers? The difference and similarities between men and women has been always a great topic to discuss. For so many years the men has been dominating the work market and the women was always bellow the man when it comes to work subject. The women was always given the “stay home” or “homemaker” tag. But today this scenario is changing dramatically. Women are more than ever interested on jobs that before only men could dream of having. On the same way the scenario for the men has been changing greatly. The number of staying home dad’s has increased these last 10 years, according to the NCSW 2008 (National study of the changing workforce).Because of the changes on the workplace environment, the women today is fighting for her rights and getting into places never dreamed of.

When it comes to workplace subject, there are many similarities and many differences between men and women. Based on the NCSW 2008, men and women are similar in their desire for workplace flexibility, demonstrating that balancing work and personal responsibilities is not simply a women’s issue. Although women face more challenges in achieving work/life balance, women and men equally desire a variety of informal and formal flexible work arrangements. Clearly, workplace flexibility is no longer just about women and child care, but is more likely a quality of life issue for all employees. Despite similar ambitions, the number of women at the top remains low compared to the number of men. NSCW latest censuses show that although women make up 50.5 percent of the U.S. workforce, they hold only 15.7 percent of corporate officer positions in the Fortune 500 and 13.6 percent of board director seats. They hold only 7.9 percent of Fortune 500 highest titles, and represent only 5.2 percent of top earners. Furthermore, the majority of women corporate officers are in staff positions rather than line positions, which have profit-and-loss responsibility and more often lead to the top. Only 9.9 percent of line corporate officer jobs are held by women.

Although women and men experience many of the same barriers to success, women face a host of stereotypes and environmental challenges that their male colleagues do not, including exclusion from informal networks, gender-based stereotypes, lack of role models, and they also have to deal with sexual harassment. The sexual harassment topic is something that many times women have to deal, versus the men that is usually the one trying to get advantage of the female employee. In addition, women are significantly more likely than men to face challenges balancing their work and personal lives. They have also made more choices and trade-offs between their work and personal lives.

According to the NCSW 2008 there are more father’s at home taking care of the children than ten years ago. The number of staying home mom decreased and the number of staying home dad increased. This is all a reflection of this new rule of workplace today. The fact that a women has children does not make her to stop her plans for a better carrier. The women today has a new spirit of entrepreneurship that was not seen so often before. The women today are opening business and going back to college. The women today is taking her professional life to a whole another level and proofing that they can achieve their dreams and they can make it happen, just like the men can.

The workplace has changed in the past ten years and will keep changing for a long time. The men and the women are adapting to all these economical problems that the world is confronting and that is one of the reasons that we see more women working today then ten years ago. The women knows that they need to work to help pay the bills and also for her self esteem. I believe that the women that works have a much better self esteem then the women that stay home with the children. I’m very proud to be a women and to participate on the workplace environment. I can learn a lot from all the new contacts with people and with all the obstacle that I confront at work. The women today deserves all the recognitions from our society. Our women today not only takes care of the children, but they also go to school and they run businesses.

            The book Mother by Maya Angelou is a great way of saying thank you to the one that loved you first. This book is dedicated to the first woman we ever knew: our mother. The author Maya Angelou wanted to show through this book, how her mom was her mother, teacher, and child. I really liked this book because it brought back memories of my mom when I was a child, my teenage years, and even today as an adult. Our mother is our first memory of love and kindness. Mothers are an example of patience, knowledge, and compassion

            This book is a reflection of our relationship with our mother. On the first page of the book the author starts off with a beautiful statement: “It is true, I was created in you. It is also true that you were created for me”. When we were little kids, the only life we know is our mother and father. In this book it looks like that the author only had her mother as reference of life. All the learning’s and feelings were only addressed to her mom. Through this, a lot of people can identify their selves with the author.

            It is amazing all that we can learn and gain thru the relationship with our mother. The author describes how her mom taught her how to gain confidence in her self. Her mother brought assurance to the author’s life. I can identify my self with the author, on the aspect of learning from my mother. I recall many times when I was a teenager and would never listen to what my mother had to say. I would always think that I knew what I was doing. But being an adult today, and having a child as well, I now know how my mom was always right about the things that she was trying to protect and teach me.

            At the end of the book, the author wants to honor her mother. She wants to say thanks to her. On the last page of the book she says: “Mother I have learned enough now, to know I have learned nearly nothing. On this day, when mothers are being honored, let me thank you….” What a beautiful way of finishing this book. The author wanted to show how even after being an adult she doesn’t know everything about life. Also she wants to show her love to the one that gave her everything that she had, her mother.

            Reading this book made me appreciate even more my mother and the relationship with my family. Being a mother today makes me a better person. I want to give my daughter the teachings of patience, knowledge and compassion and this is just what the author was talking about in her book. I experience everything that the author was writing in her book with the relationship with my mother and my daughter today. This book is all about being thankful to the mothers or perhaps to someone that loved you more than anything else.

 Source: Mother, by Maya Angelou

Not Skin Deep-Heart Deep

To Understand:

1. Do you think the advice Straight’s mother gave her- “… that’s why you’d better learn how to use your brain…” – was mean or helpful? Or would you categorize it in some other way?

I think it was a little bit of both ways. It was very mean to say that she would not even get married because of her looks. To find someone that will marries you it does not mean you marries someone because of the looks. You marries someone because of love, and if you marries someone because of the looks this can can cause a divorce. Because some day the beauty will fade way, but if they have have love for one another, that will last a life time. But her advice was helpful on the way that she really used her brain to be successful in her life. She realized that she could be much more than just a pretty face, and she really proved that.

1. What options did Straight see available for her life, given that she considered herself “plain”? Are the career paths she choose commonly perused by women?

She decided to peruse a writer career on sports. She knew she could not be a tea leader, so she decided to watch the sports events and she would take notes of all the details to latter write about it. This career is not a common path perused by women, but still she was very successful on her choice.

1. Why does Straight describe the lives of her good-looking friends who have turned to prostitution and drug abuse? What is her message with these examples?

She is trying to show her mom that good looks does not take you any where if you

do not use your brain. Even having good looks her friends had a sad life as an adult.

She is trying to send a message that looks does not last forever, and if someone relies only on the beauty aspect to succeed in life, they would probably be disappointed.

To Write:

1. What are the special challenges for people who are “plain”? Compare these challenges especially attractive people face.

Our society today judges the looks more than anything else. It’s present every where, movies, TV, magazines, outdoors, schools and even in our families. Being someone with no physical attractions “plain”, its very hard today. Specially when it comes to find a job. A “plain” person has to proof much more that she/he are capped of the job, much more than someone with a good looks. Now, when it comes to the opposite, a good looking person will sometimes face outs on their professional life. An attractive person could question if they only got the job because of the looks or because of their skill. Basically this is a tough society to live in.

1. Explain the advice you would give your child if he or she were rather plain in appearance or, conversely, quite attractive.

My advice would be that they would never define them selves by their appearance. If my child has or not the attractive appearance that only think that would matter is their heart and how smart they are.

Brainstorm     

 Outline

Introduction:

I want to start my essay with a question about the dangers of smoking. Starting with a question, especially with a popular topic like this one, will draw the reader in.

Thesis:

That anyone who is addicted to the tobacco can stop and turn their life around.

Reason #1: Addiction and depression

a) My mother would smoke one cigarette after the other.

b) My mother was always depressed and down.

c) My mother would always tell me how slaved she was feeling for this addiction.

Reason #2: Illness, sadness, and Help

a) The news about her illness – Emphysema.

b) The sadness of her voice.

c) My trip to Brazil, just to be with her and help her.

Reason #3: Moment of Decision, life change

a) The visit with the doctor, the bad news about her lung situation.

b) The moment she decided to stop smoking.

c) The phone call from Brazil telling me that she has not been smoking for days.

Conclusion:

I want to express how happy I’m for my mother’s decision of quitting smoking. Also I want to reaffirm how anyone can stop smoking and how this decision can affect their entire life.

The danger of smoking

 

 

            How can someone destroy their own body and the others around them? The simple answer to this question is smoking a cigarette. When I think about smoking I always think about my mother’s story. She was a smoker for over thirty years. After her fight with the cigarette and her addiction she is truly an example of determination and perseverance. This addiction does not only affect the person who is addicted to it, but also to the entire family around this person. The addiction to the smoking is something that anyone can stop if they really believe they can do it and also if they really try hard to fight the addiction.

            September 19 of 2008 around 2 pm was the day that I received a phone call from my mom in Brazil. She sounded very sad and depressed. She started telling me that was a problem with her x-rays that she took about 2 weeks prior to our conversation. When I asked her what was wrong, she paused for a moment and then she told me that her lungs were very ill. From that moment I knew that it was because of her smoking addiction. She told me she had emphysema pulmonary and she started to cry. I had no response and did not know what to say. The feelings of frustration and sadness came into to my heart. That moment I wanted to give her a hug and tell her that she could stop this cigarette addiction, and that she could live a better life again. But I was so far away, that the telephone call was the only way of expressing my feelings to her. Then I told her that she needed to stop smoking right away. She promised me that she would try her best.

When I finished my conversation with her on the phone, I started to think about how bad her addiction was. Since I was ten years old, I would remember her smoking one cigarette after the other. Her clothes and her hair would always have the terrible cigarette smell. I remember her trying to go up on the stairs of our house in Brazil and she would go only half way, because she had to stop to catch an air. After talking to my brothers that live in Florida, I decided to go to Brazil, just to be with her and to show her how much we loved her.

            September 25 of 2008, around 8:00 am was the day that I arrived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. My mother and her friend were at the airport waiting for me. She had a big smile on her face and open arms to welcome me. It was a beautiful and sunny day in my hometown. On our way to her house, she said that I didn’t have fly for hours just to take her to the doctor. I told her that her life was very important to me and my brothers I that’s why I was there. We arrived at her house around 10:00 am and right on she opened the door of her house I could notice the smell of the cigarette throughout her house. We spend the day talking about her health and how important it was for her to understand that she was the only one that could stop this addiction. I broth her some nicorette gums to her when she would crave a cigarette. From that day until the day left she would carry those gums everywhere. Those gums became her best friends. The first night that I spend at her house was a night mere. Around 2:00 am I woke up with the terrible smell of cigarette. My mom was smoking in kitchen and the smoke came all the way into my room and from that point on I could not sleep anymore. My mom was very nervous by the fact that the very next day, we were going to the doctor to check how bad her lungs were.

The next day, me and my mother woke up very tired because of the fact that we could not sleep the night prior. She was very nervous and anxious. She knew that the doctor was going to tell her to stop smoking and her fear was that she was not going to be able to do so. On our way to the doctor, she was telling me that every nigh of her life for about 5 years she could not sleep all night long. The reason was the cigarette. She shared with me that she was a slave of her addiction and that she would love to be set free. We got to the doctors office about 30 minutes earlier, and I think that was the longest 30 minutes of her life. My mom was impassioned and she even suggested me to go home and that she could go back some other day. The waiting room was very small and hot. My mom had her legs shaking the whole time while she was sitting. After sitting for a while she started to walk back and forward. She even tried to escape for about few minutes so she could smoke a cigarette. Finally when it was her turn and the doctor called her name, I saw the panic on her face. She took a really deep breath before start heading to the doctors office. We all sat down and the doctor asked her what he could do to help her. I was ready to start tell him the whole reason we were there, but before I realized my mom started to tell hill her situation. She told him how bad she was felling for the past five years and that she feels that she is getting really sick. She pulled the x-ray out of her purse and ask him to tell her how her about her lungs heath. He took the x-ray from her hand and coldly told her: “yes, mam you defiantly have emphysema and your lungs looks pretty bad”, then he told her to have a sit at his examing bed so he could exam her. After hearing her lungs and heart he ask her: “do you love your self?” my mom was shock by the question. She did not say anything. Then he told her that if she keeps on the same path of smoking he would give her another two years before she would be on the wheel chairs breathing with oxygen tubes. She looked at me freighted. My mother agreed with the doctor that she had no other option but to quit smoking. Me and my mother walked out the office quietly without a word to each other. In the car driving back to her house, I brake down in tears and bagged her to stop smoking. She humbled said:” yes, I promised you”. During the remaining time that I was there with her in Brazil, I was trying to make sure she was not smoking. But I told her that this is all up to her, and that in few more days I was going back to the United States and then she would have to watch for her self.

            My return home was very hard for me. I wanted to bring my mom to the United States with me, so I could take care of her. Every day since I got back home from Brazil, I was calling my mother to make sure she was at least smoking less than before. After the 15^th day that I was back, my mom called and gave me the best news I ever had in a long time. She told me that she was without smoking for 24 hours. I could not believe. I was so proud of her and she was too. After this day everyday without a smoke it’s like an anniversary for her. She told me that she decided that the addiction of the cigarette was not going to win over her life. She said that everyday is very hard for her, but she will keep her mind occupied, so she would not think of smoking again. Today my mom tries to help people stop smoking. She always tells them that if she could do it any one can do it. My mom struggled with smoking for thirty years and today she is a winner. Her health is much better today then ever. She wants to enjoy her life and keep a distance from smoking. The addiction of cigarette is something very hard to help some, because of the fact that everywhere you go there are people smoking in public. Quitting the addiction is something that it takes a lot of courage and help from the family and friends. But if my mom could stop even after thirty years of smoking anyone can do it as well.

 

 

Sources:

1-     http://www.quit-smoking-stop.com/nicotine-addiction.html

2-     http://www.smokingaloud.com/death.html

3-     http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/default.aspx?id=search_drugGeneral

 Critique:

I think my weakness was the grammatical errors throughout the essay. Because of the fact to my primary language is not English.

I think the straightness was the 3-bodyied contents of the essay. It has a lot of details of the story.

To Understand:

1- If the central event in this essay is the tragic death of soto’s father,why does soto devote the first four paragraphs to his family working in the yard, preparing for the new lawn?

Because he wants to show the respect and admiration that he has for his dad

2- Go Back to the paragraphs in which Soto describes being at the hospital and, later, at the funeral. What details in these paragraphs inform you of how the young Soto was feeling? What would you say his age was? Point the details that work as clues.

he felt conspicuous because relatives were pressing him against their legs, holding his hand or touching his head. Also he felt scared because every one was looking at him and for seeing all the things that the doctor broth.It also shows that he felt embarrassed maybe because he was not crying when every one around him was. Soto’s age was probably around 7-11, that’s because the text tells us that he was playing with his cousins and also playing with marbles.

3-In the final paragraph, the kids are rolling marbles against the baseboards in an unfinished room. What does Soto want his readers to conclude from this scene? What emotion was Soto experiencing? What should we readers feel?

This scene shows us that he is playing in a unfinished room, maybe to show that the tragic with his dad, that his life will be unfinished forever because of his loss. The emotion that he was experiencing was anger and sadness. Hitting the marbles against the walls is a perfect example of anger, so the sound of that would cover the feelings that was coming from his heart.

]]> http://alinelowry.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/father/feed/ 0 alinelowry sad1 http://alinelowry.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/what-os-love/ http://alinelowry.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/what-os-love/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:50:31 +0000 alinelowry http://alinelowry.wordpress.com/?p=164 ]]> What is Love?

Who was the man that loved everyone else above himself? Who is the man that gave up his life so others can be safe? Who is the man that taught and showed us what real love means? His name is Jesus Christ. He is the real love. Jesus lived a prefect life here on earth to teach us how we have to love each other and how we have to bless those who persecute us. Love is the perfect emotion created by God, and Jesus Christ is his example of his everlasting love for all of us.

When you read about the life of Jesus throughout the bible, you see the perfect life that he lived here to save us. Many times he showed affection, kindness and magnificent love towards the people, especially for those in needs. Jesus was trying to show us how our God would love us to live a perfect life with communion with one another, so we can have peace on earth. Jesus knew that he came to earth to die for our sins. This is the perfect and ultimate example of love.

The bible is a letter of love written to us by God. In there you can find all the answers for any questions any one may have. It would be great if all the men on earth would follow Gods commands. This world would be a much better place to live. The subject that is most talked about in the bible is the subject of love. Not only in the bible, but also in our society. In most of our movies, novels, and books, the subject of love is always present somehow.

Our society today distorted the real meaning of love. When you see all the divorce rates, all the news about people that kill others, and even cartoons that teach kids to just love someone if they would benefit them in some way, it is very frustrating and sad. It’s very easy to love someone that loves you and can give something back, but love means more than that. God wants us to make a difference in this world. Matthew 5:47-48 explains to us: “If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?” Love is not a contract or a relationship with interest only. You have to be willing to give up your own rights to truly love someone. Love means to ask for forgiveness even though you are not wrong. Love means to try to understand someone and not to judge. Love means to put the other person’s needs before your own. And the only way a human being can do these things is having God in their hearts.

God is eager to do the best for his people if they will only let him. We may often think of God with dread or fear, but if we look carefully, we can see him lovingly drawing us toward himself. To understand what love means you have to remember what God gave up for us, his only son. When I think what love means I think about Jesus because he is my whole model about perfect love. When we try to understand his whole meaning of life and love, it will take us in a whole another level of life and love for one another.

Definition:

     Everlasting: lasting or enduring through all time

2. Affection: tender attachment

3.Kindness: the quality or state of being kind

      4.Magnificent: great in deed or exalted in place

5.    5. Ultimate: arrived at as the last result

6.Distorted: to twist out of the true meaning or proportion

7. Truly: often used as an intensive

8. Eager: marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest

9. Dread: to fear greatly

10. Meaning: the thing one intends to convey especially by language.

Sentences:

Everlasting:

God has an everlasting love for us.

Affection:

I have affection for my dog.

Kindness:

The new president showed a lot of kindness to the people.

Magnificent:

Jesus lived a magnificent life on earth.

Ultimate:

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.

Distorted:

Our society distorted the means of love.

Truly:

Jesus is the truly example of love

Eager:

The father eager for a perfect relationship with his kids.

Dread:

The employee dreads his boss.

Meaning:

The new president Barack Obama is a person of good meanings.

Outline

Introduction:

I want to talk about our relansionship before my grandmother’s death.

Thesis: We have to really appreciate our lives today, like today could be our last day here.

Reason #1: Family unity

Sitting at the table eating lunch

Exchanging presents

Laughing and having fun

Reason #2: Happy Memories

Talking about our childhood

Talking about how hard her life was, when she was a single mom

Eating all the great dishes that my grandmother would cook for us

Reason #3: Last Goodbye

The last hug I gave her

Last time she waived goodbye

The funeral

Conclusion:

I want to reaffirm how much I miss my grandmother and how important it is to appreciate our lives now and treat each other with love and respect.

My Grandmother

                        December 25th, of 1997 was a beautiful Christmas day. My brothers and I were waiting for our grandmother to arrive at our house with presents. We were so excited to see her. Not only because of the presents, but to be with her. She was a truly funny and loving person. My grandmother was a person that everyone wanted to be around. If I knew that this was going to be the last day that I saw her, I would ultimately tell her how much I loved her. Our relationship with any one we love is supposed to be lived with kindness and lived like each day is the last day with them.

            My grandmother arrived at our house around lunchtime. We all sat down to have lunch with her. She brought us some desserts that she made herself. Those small treats were delicious. I will never forget how much of a good cook she was. I remember being eager to eat her desserts. They were so tasty and magnificent. I remember laughing so much with her at the lunch table. She would make jokes and sometimes she would imitate people. But I also remember another side of her. Sometimes she was a very severe person. For this reason, my brothers and I, would fear and dread her often. But I admire her personality because she was someone that would tell anyone the truth or what she was thinking. Having this different personality would make a lot of people have a distorted image of her. After having lunch, we all went to the living room to exchange presents. I remember watching the happiness on her face. She was very excited to make her grandkids have a great time.

            My grandmother was a person who loved to share good memories. After we all opened our gifts, we started to talk about when my brothers and I were little kids. She asked me if I remembered the letter that I wrote her when I was six years old. She also told me that she kept all the drawings and letters that we sent her. She shared with us how much affection she had for those letters. When she said that she still keep those letters with her, it made me admire her even more. My grandmother was a woman that any little action of love would matter to her. That’s why I miss her so much. Around five o’clock, she said: “I have to get going, it’s a long bus ride back home.” So she gave us a hug and my mom took her to the door. My mother’s last hug with my grandmother was so special that she will never forget it. She says it was a very long hug; it was a hug of good-bye. My mom stood by the door and watched her walk away to the bus stop.

            About ten days had past, and we had not heard from my grandmother. She told my mom that she was going to visit some friends, so she would be out of town for couple of days. That’s why we were not so surprised that she had not called us for a while. It was around 2 pm when my mom received a phone call from my grandmother’s neighbor. I was in my room when I heard my mom start to scream and cry really loud. I ran to the kitchen to find out what had just happen. My mom was on the floor and she was screaming “no, no, no” repeatedly. I hugged my mom and she told me that my grandmother was found dead in her apartment. I was in shock and could not picture her dead. Later that day, the doctors told my family that my grandmother had died due to a stroke.

            Two days later was my grandmother funeral. I was devastated by the fact that we could not see her face. The reason was that she was dead for several days at her apartment, so her body started to decompose. That day I started to think about the meaning of our lives here on earth. I started to realize how important it is to love our loved ones everyday like it is our last day with them. My mom still tells me today that she has this everlasting feeling of longing for my grandmother. She would like to have a chance to go back in time and change the bad things she has done against my grandmother. When I hear my mom say these things, I realize that there is nothing you can do to change the past, but yet we can do the right things about the present. This event marked my life and the life of my mom. Seeing someone you love deeply being buried is a very hard thing to go through. My life today has more meaning and love for my family than it did before my grandmother passed away. My grandmother was a very special person in my life and I will never forget her.

1- Why doe s the father keep his son skiing past when he should have left to deliver the boy to his mother for Christmas Eve dinner?

Because he thought that he would have enough time to get back home.

2- What kind of man is the father? What specifically does he do to lead you to your impression of him?

Irresponsible, by driving  through a blocked road, with a lot of snow on the road.

3- What are the differences in the way the father and the son think and act? Are there any similarities?

They think different from each other. Throughout the story the father would say or do something that the son would think in a different way.  they both like sports and adventure.

4- Why does the son seem to have a positive outlook on his father’s driving at the end of the story rather than the concerned viewpoint ha has had throughout most of the story?

Because he wants to get home, so he wants to believe that his father knows what he was doing.

To Write:

1- To better understand the mother’s role in this story, write a passage in her voice as she is waiting for the father to return their son for Christmas Eve dinner.

Just before Christmas night my husband took our son skiing. I only let this happen because he promised me to take a good care of our soon. He even put his hand on his heart to promised me that. Maybe this time he will do everything right.

As I looked at the clock and watch the time fly by my eyes, I started to think concernedly about my son. The table was ready, I placed the green cloth, the plates and the red candles were ready to be lid. I just hope that my son will be back home, just in time for Christmas Eve.

2- Early in the story, the father “promises. hand on his heart, to take care of the boy”. How successful has he been at this? Point to particular places in the story that lead you to your opinion.

For making sure that his son was safe. The father asked him to buckle up and also asked him if he was warm enough. The father also feed his son.