Personal Narrative: Taking Life For Granted

Taking Life For Granted

It is amazing how many things we take for granted. We make plans for the day, and don't think twice about how those plans can be taken away in the blink of an eye. I never thought much about it myself, until I was faced with the shock , and undeniable truth of my cousin's death. I don't think anyone really thinks about tragedy until they are actually faced with that horrifying moment in their lives .

I woke up Sunday morning excited for the day I was going to spend with my family playing baseball at the field. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my little brother joking around while eating breakfast . My family's plan for the day was to go to church , then go to play some ball at the park and come back
and enjoy the rest of the day watching movies together . During breakfast we were interrupted by a phone call from my aunt . We were still in a silly mood joking around and saying jokes at the table when my mom started talking to my aunt. Suddenly the conversation turned from joking to dead silence and my mom started crying. She tearfully asked ,"But he is okay right? I was thinking someone from the family probably had a small accident but are okay at the hospital . But then I heard my grandma that was with my aunt scream " oh my god no". My dad asked my mom what's wrong ? and then my mom told us that our cousin Jose had passed away last night he over dosed on his medication by mistake and when they took him to the hospital it was too late. I felt as if I was paralyzed , that if I moved it would be real. I just had a blank look on my face , I had no reaction at first and I wanted to deny it, all of it. I kept saying to myself , no its not true . to my complete horror I was wrong. My mom kept saying “ I’ve got to go see Lourdes. I need to be with my sister my mom ran up the stairs to go get ready , I followed her and just stood there , still paralyzed. she hugged me and told me that she loved me. I had never seen my mom so panicked. As she got in the shower I was all by myself in my room as the words “he’s dead “ pierced my heart like a dagger of ice. I was screaming oh, my god not him and started to cry uncontrollably. The realization that I would never see Jose again struck me .

I come from a big family with many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents .
As I was sitting there all alone I thought back to the time when I got to spend a week with Jose. Almost 5 years to the date he passed away, I remember almost all of the family was together at his wedding. All of my cousins sat at the same table and we had such a good time together. Jose was twelve years older than me he was like a big brother thought me a lot of things about life, girls etc... He was the oldest son of my aunt Lourdes and had 3 younger sisters , and a little brother. His little brother Chris was my age and my favorite cousin as we was the same age and spent a lot of time together. He left behind 2 beautiful daughters Natalia 8 and Madison 4 ,his wife of 7 years which was just heartbreaking. This was the first tragic death that we had in the family so it was something very hard for everyone . We drove to my aunts Lourdes house in Long Island , NY . As I saw all of my family members there I will never forget my aunt Lourdes. The look on her face was unbearable. My aunt was in a daze and still in denial . My mom held her older sister like she was her child . My aunt just screaming “My baby “ oh , god My baby”. As I saw my cousin Chris he looked like his whole life had left him, I know that his older brother was everything to him as he never had a father figure in his life Jose filled that hole in his heart . I just hugged him and cried like never before . I remember that it
was just pure sorrow at my aunt’s house just everyone hugging each other and a lot of tears on the ground . I learned that your life can change drastically at any moment . Don't take life or the people that you love for granted , you're only here once. Loosing Jose five years ago thought me that living every day intentionally and purposefully is what I intend to strive for. It took me loosing him to realize that in my life . I think that people learn from things that happen to them either good or bad you take something out of that experience. He is gone but will forever live in my heart and memory R.I.P. Jose .