Personal Narrative: Death Of A Family Member

The death of a family member, especially at a young age has a major effect on a child. My grandfather died when I was in seventh grade and the experience and emotions I felt as a result of his death changed me. Even though his death did not come as a surprise to anyone in my family, my family was still devastated. He was the head of our family and I was not sure what we were going to do without him. I came home from school one day and my mom said we needed to talk. Usually, when my mom says we are going to have a talk I am in trouble. My mind began to race through all the possible things I could have done wrong in the last few days. My mother walked me into the other room and told me the news that my grandfather had died. I was stunned at first. I just could not believe the news. It did not seem fair. I knew

My grandmother and parents were dreading the wake and funeral. My grandmother stayed at our house and just cried for hours. I remember clearly walking down the aisle of Saints Peter and Paul wishing my grandfather was alive. I was in seventh grade so I did not understand what was going on at the church and what it all meant. My emotions were relatively nonexistent for the majority of the service. When the funeral was over and the casket was being carried out I began to break down. I vividly remember looking over and seeing my grandma so heartbroken. She was walking extremely slow, with tears rolling down her face, touching the casket. I could hear the church music and the feeling all of my family and friends watching. Halfway to the exit of the church my legs began to shake, and I thought I was going to faint. The smell of the incense was overwhelming as I continued to walk and then began to cry. Nothing at that moment was more important to me than family. For the first time I did not care what other people thought of me or what my friends would think all I could do was cry for my