In the past week my great grandpa died. To most kids this is not really the sadest thing in their lives. For me it was not either until I got to the visitation. It was the typical vistitaiton where I sat on the couch with my cousins and talked to the very few people I knew when they came by. I sat there just waiting to go home and eat I was absolutely starving. I felt really bad for my grandpa for losing his dad, and my great grandma for losing her husband of 73 years. They married when my great grandpa was 20 and my great grandma was 18. They lived on the family farm for over 40 years, before selling it to a grandchild. This was a huge loss to my family.
The saddest point of the night was at the end when my great grandma went up to the casket to say her good byes to my great grandpa. She spent a few minutes up there quietly saying a few words even though she knew she would get no response. It made me feel so sad for her. She is now 91 and is going to be by herself for a while and not really sure who will be there to help her out.
I feel that after experiencing this that I want to really enjoy my time here with my friends and family because it is only going to last so long. You never know when a loved one will be taken away from you, and you always want your memories to be positive ones.
I was lucky enough to know my great-grandmother, too, and still remember not fully understanding her death or being sufficiently sad because I was younger than you are now. So I really resonated with this piece. I love that you mention being starving and that this is your primary emotion until you see your great-grandmother "quietyl saying a few words." This is really moving and honest. Good work.
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